The Kingdom of God

Days ago, a bomb blast occurred in Syria, in a downtown Damascus area that killed over 50 people. Syria is in the middle of a civil war. Syria shares a border with Israel.

So, the Middle East tensions are very obvious, and it's a tinderbox that could easily begin and ignite a world war. We see that there are rogue nations in the earth that have agendas that are contrary to Western values. Iran is determined to find and create a nuclear weapon, and of course, they have promised to wipe out the nation of Israel. That is their goal as a nation. We also have an untested young leader in North Korea that already possesses nuclear weapons. If we keep our eye on the news, we can see that there has been a tremendous incidence and increase in earthquakes and tsunamis and other natural catastrophes that have been going on in the world the last few years, and those will increase. Sadly, if you look at our newspaper, you will see, due to the influence of our entertainment industry, that the values and the standards that people have are quickly eroding. We used to be a nation of moral values and standards that were derived from an understanding of God's Word, the Bible. But unfortunately, what we see in our secular world today is an increase in perversity, an increase in dysfunction, not only in people's lives, but in the way that they treat other people. And, if we are honest with ourselves, particularly as Americans, we can see that we have become a people that buy things on credit. We become a people that hurt ourselves because we don't want to wait to have the good things in life. We don't want to wait to acquire things. And Americans, as all Westerners, are living beyond their means, putting things on credit card, living off of the future so that they can enjoy today. The Bible has a term for that. It's called coveting, and that is what we find in our Western world today. All of these things are leading up to what the Bible refers to and calls the Great Tribulation. And Jesus himself said in Matthew, chapter 24 and verse 22, and unless those days were shortened, the days in which we see an increase of proliferation of nuclear weapons, in which we see greater amount of earthquakes and hurricanes and tsunamis occurring in the world, in which we see civilization as we know it on the brink of financial collapse, and that will be a global financial collapse, Jesus said before that occurs it would be possible that mankind could destroy himself from off of this planet, probably through nuclear weapons, through a major world war. But he said unless those days were shortened, meaning unless God intervenes, no flesh would be saved alive. Mankind would literally destroy itself. Jesus said in Matthew, chapter 24 and verse 14, and this gospel, that's the good news of the coming kingdom of God, will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end would come. So before we have what's known as the end of mankind's rule over himself, before that occurs, the good news that we are preaching today that you are hearing, and that's why this commission is so important to the United Church of God. This good news has to be preached to all the nations in this world.

That part is exciting, but it of course is very sad to see the kinds of things that this world has to go through before that time comes. Jesus told his disciples in Luke, chapter 12 and verse 31, but seek first the kingdom of God and all of these things will be added unto you. His disciples were like you and I. His disciples were naturally attracted towards nice homes and material possessions and nice clothes and cars and all the things that we seek as human beings.

Jesus warned his disciples. He told them that your priority has to be the kingdom of God. Seek that first, and then he gave them a promise. If you do, if you make that your priority, then you will be blessed and you will have the good things in life that you desire, but it's a matter of priority.

He said in verse 32, do not fear little flock, for it is your father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Notice again how Jesus talks about a kingdom. What is this kingdom and why is this kingdom so important? Notice what he said. He wants to give us what? He wants to give you the kingdom. So what is this kingdom about? Let's talk about it for a few minutes. What is it? What will this kingdom be like and what will we do? What is the potential that you have to be and fulfill within this kingdom?

Well, we have to go back to understand that this kingdom was prophesied about over 2500 years ago. It's been spoken about for a long, long time. And the prophet Zachariah wrote about this kingdom. He literally wrote about the beginning of it when Jesus Christ would return to earth. It says in Zachariah chapter 14 and verse 4, and in that day, his feet, speaking of Jesus Christ, will stand on the Mount of Olives which faces Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two from east to west, making a very large valley.

Thus, the Lord my God will come. That's a promise. Jesus Christ is returning to this earth. He's returning to this earth to establish God's kingdom, the kingdom that he spoke about so often in the Gospels, the kingdom of God. Verse 5, and thus the Lord God will come and all the saints with you. Now who are the saints? The saints are those who made the kingdom of God the priority in their lives that we just read.

The saints are those who became the disciples of Jesus Christ throughout history. And other scriptures tell us that as Jesus Christ begins to return to earth, that those disciples who died in the faith, those saints who had died over 2,000 years since Jesus first walked on the earth, that they'll literally be resurrected from their graves. And they will begin to rise up and meet the returning Christ in the air. And then those saints who are still alive at that end time will also leave, and they will all meet and join with Jesus Christ in the air and return with him as he sets his feet on the Mount of Olives and begins to establish that wonderful kingdom known as the kingdom of God.

Zechariah chapter 8 and verse 3, and thus says the Lord, I will return to Zion. Again, I want to emphasize that Jesus Christ is coming back. That is what the prophets looked forward to. That is what Jesus Christ himself said that he would do. That was what his apostles and his disciples after him constantly spoke about, and that is him returning to establish this kingdom. Again, I will return to Zion and dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. Jerusalem shall be called the city of truth, the mountain of the Lord of hosts, the holy mountain. So Jesus Christ will establish as capital the kingdom of God in Jerusalem.

And that kingdom, from that starting point, and the knowledge of it, and the truth of it, and the benefits of that kingdom, will begin to encompass the entire globe, beginning at Jerusalem where his presence is. Jeremiah chapter 3 and verse 17, the prophet Jeremiah wrote, at that time Jerusalem shall be called the throne of the Lord, and all the nations shall be gathered to it.

People from all the nations around this globe will want to know more about this king. They will want to know more about this kingdom. They will want to know more about his values and his laws that provide happiness for human hearts, that provides an abundant life for people, that provides a system in which everyone has an opportunity to reach their greatest potential.

So people from all languages and all cultures and all skin colors will want to come to Jerusalem to learn from the king about those laws and those values that can make them and their people happy. No more shall they follow the dictates of their evil hearts. And we do have evil hearts. We are carnal. We'll talk about that a little bit more as we get closer into the presentation to repentance. But natively, our default as human beings is to be very selfish.

The default that we have within us is to be evil, to live for me, to make everything a life about what I want to do, what I want to think, and what I want right now. That is called the carnal human mind. And again, we'll be talking about that in greater detail as we get closer to the discussion on repentance. But it says here in this beautiful prophecy that no more so they just follow the dictates of their carnal, selfish human hearts. And what does a selfish human heart lead to? Just look at all the problems in our world. It leads to food shortages. It leads to violence. It leads to war. It leads to disease. It leads to unhappy lives, broken homes, devastated by sin. And that's what we find in our world today. But the good news of this kingdom is that all of that will change. Isaiah chapter 2 and verse 2 from the New Living Translation. It says, in the last days the mountain of the Lord's house will be the highest of all. Now, the mountain in biblical symbolism represents a nation. So it says here that in the last days, the nation, the kingdom of God, the Lord's house will be above all other nations on the earth. The most important place on earth. It will be raised above the other hills. Compared to its greatness as a mountain, these other governments will be small and weak in comparison. So it will be raised above the other hills. And people from all over the world will stream there to worship. You see, the kingdom of God is not just for Jews. It's not just for Israelites. It's for everybody. The knowledge and truth of God's way of life is for every human being who has ever lived or ever will live. Isaiah chapter 2 and verse 3. People from many nations will come. And here's what they'll say from the many nations, the many different cultures. They will say, come and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord. Let us go to this great nation, to the house of Jacob's God. There he will teach us of his ways. You see, the nations of this world are going to have to unlearn a lot of things. They're going to have to unlearn selfishness. They're going to have to unlearn the way of war. And they're going to have to learn God's ways, his value system, his teachings, his law. Because those are the things that help us to be happy and to develop ourselves the way God wants us to. So again, there he will teach us his ways. We will walk in his paths for the Lord's teachings that will go out from Zion, just another name for Jerusalem. His word will go out from Jerusalem.

So there will come a time, again, when all peoples, all nations will desire to be part of the government of God, the kingdom of God, and will desire to actually learn more about God. Now, that's in contrast to the secular world that we live in today. What does our culture, fed by our entertainment industry, basically tell us today? You don't need God. There is no God. God has these laws and these rules that are harmful for you. Why? They just hold you back. They're destructive. It's important that we get God out of our schools. It's important that we get prayer out of our society. It's important that we get the concept of religion out of our culture completely.

So, in contrast to the world that we live in today, we can look forward to a time in the kingdom of God when everyone will yearn for the knowledge, to learn the ways of God Almighty.

Now, let's go to the book of Revelation. John, in the book of Revelation, also looked forward to this kingdom. He spoke about it. Revelation 11, verse 15. And there were loud voices in heaven saying, the kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and us of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever. Just to fill in a little background from a few other scriptures I mentioned earlier, how Jesus Christ and his saints will return to earth. Well, after they return to earth, the nations of this world and a number of them assembled in the Middle East will actually attempt the war against the returning Christ. Well, it really won't be much of a war, because in a split second, these armies will be utterly destroyed. And as it so graphically and powerfully states in scripture, that when they come to the conquering Christ, that their eyes literally will liquefy in their sockets and their tongues, literally will melt in their mouths as they face the power of the returning Jesus Christ. So it's really not much of a war or much of a battle. The great nations of this world, the powerful nations will fall. They'll be in disarray, and the kingdom of God will overcome the nations of this world. That's why it says the kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever.

Something else has to occur for that kingdom to be successful. There is a being that, unfortunately, has influenced mankind for thousands and thousands and thousands of years, and continues to influence all of us today. He is known as Satan the devil. In other scriptures, he's referred to as the prince of the power of the air. Jesus said He was the God of this world, and this spiritual character, this evil force, influences the entire world. It influences with negative attitudes. It influences us. If you get a negative attitude and you get a thought of hate against another human being, where do you think that is prompted and promoted from?

It's from that dark spiritual being that we know of as Satan the devil. He is the one who instigates, who encourages humankind to war against itself. It encourages humankind towards violence and towards abuse of others. So in order for that kingdom to be successful, one of the things that Jesus Christ is going to do is send an angel who will take that dark spiritual force and bind it for a period of time so that the kingdom of God can be established powerfully and fully without the influence of Satan the devil. We read about that in Revelation chapter 20 and verse 1. It says, Then the angel coming down from heaven with a key to the bottomless pit, he says, he saw this in a heavy chain in his hand and he seized the dragon, that old serpent. What old serpent? That old serpent that goes all the way back to the Garden of Eden. It was a serpent that spoke with Eve. It was the serpent that said, God isn't telling you the full story. It's okay to eat of that fruit. It's okay to sin. God is holding something back from you. So you just go ahead and do it. It was that very old deceptive serpent going all the way back to that garden who has influenced mankind, including you and I, ever since. So he seized the dragon, that old serpent, who is the devil Satan, and bound him in chains for a thousand years. Verse 3, And he shot and he locked so Satan could not deceive the nations anymore until a thousand years were finished. And that's what Satan has done for such a long period of time, is deceive all of us. Deceive all the nations of this world into being selfish, into trying to destroy everyone else that isn't just like them. It says afterwards he must be released for a short while. I want you to notice a word here in these two scriptures that we read, a thousand years. The kingdom of God lasts forever, but the first phase of the kingdom of God, the first step, the introduction to the kingdom of God, is a period of time that's known for 1000 years also, referred to often in church literature and in other sources as the millennium, meaning a 1000 year period of time. So this spiritual devil, this demon that has tormented and influenced in a negative way mankind for 6,000 years will finally be bound, where he will not be able to influence his thoughts and his attitudes and permeate those throughout the culture of the kingdom of God. So what can we expect from this new kingdom that the Bible talks about? The first thing we can expect is a complete transformation.

You know, we live in a world, if you look at a globe, you see massive parts of our earth that are just desert. They are just complete desert. Nothing can grow there, except maybe some cactus and a few animals that have adapted to that environment. You can't grow crops on it. People can't live in those kind of environments. There are massive areas of the earth that are desert, and by the way, they're getting larger. They're growing each and every day. We also see what man has done to the earth through strip mining and other things. We have done some very harmful things to the earth environmentally. But God is going to heal that. He's literally going to transform the earth that we live in for the kingdom. Here's what it says in Isaiah chapter 51 and verse 3.

It says, For the Lord will comfort Zion, He will comfort all her waste places.

He will make her wilderness like Eden. So imagine something that looks like a desert being transformed and being so green and lush that now it looks like the garden of Eden. It looks like a beautiful, flowery, lush, productive garden. He will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord. But I want you to notice why He does that, and the effect that that will have on human beings. Joy and gladness will be found in it. So this kingdom, because of its laws, because of its values taught by the King and self, Jesus Christ, and also taught, of course, by His saints who are there to serve with Him and to serve all mankind, it will be a kingdom that produces joy in people and gladness in people. So it says, Joy and gladness will be found in it, thanksgiving and the voice of melody. This is obviously a happy world, in contrast with the world that we live in today, in which there are so many sad and terrible things that happen to people due to acts of violence and abuse, and due to things oftentimes that we do ourselves because we're sinning and breaking God's law. What a contrast this will be to the world that we live in today. A transformation from desert to a blossoming rose.

Isaiah chapter 35, the wilderness and desert will be glad in those days the wasteland will rejoice and it will blossom like a rose. Verse 2, yes, there will be abundance of flowers and what will be some of the other results of that kingdom? There will be singing. There will be joy. So again, it will be a world entirely different than the one that we experience today. The deserts will become as green as the mountains of Lebanon. There the Lord will display his glory, the splendor of our God. So this is the kind of world that we can look forward to, that we can desire, that we can be hopeful toward. It says in verse 7, the parched ground will become a pool and springs of water will satisfy the thirsty land. So again, I want to emphasize a complete transformation takes place in all of those areas of our earth that are uninhabitable, that are either too hot or too dry and cannot be enjoyed by mankind at this time in the age that we live in. Isaiah chapter 41 and verse 18 from the new literal translation, I will open up rivers for them on the high plateaus. I will give them fountains of water in the valleys. I will fill the desert with pools of water. Rivers fed by springs will flow across the parched ground. I will plant trees in the barren desert. Cedar, acacia, myrtle, olive, cypress, fir, and pine. I don't know how many of you have ever heard the story of a lumberjack who went in with a job application, and he said, I'm the best lumberjack in the world, the best there ever was. The potential employer said, really? Well, where have you worked? He said, I worked in the Sahara forest.

The fella said, you mean the Sahara desert? He says, now it is. But aside from that, we can truly look forward to a time when there will be a wonderful transformation over all the world. Isaiah 41, verse 20, it says, I am doing this so that all who see this miracle, is it a miracle that you have desert one day and it's transformed into lush growth that people can live on and enjoy. You bet that's a miracle. He says, I'm doing this and so all who see this miracle will understand what it means, that it is the Lord who has done this, the Holy One of Israel who created it. So that was the first thing we can look forward to in the kingdom of God. We can also look forward to abundance. Tremendous amounts of food, tremendous amounts of clean water to drink. Not only a healthier environment, but more wonderful things to enjoy. Amos chapter 9, verse 13, it says, behold the days are coming, says the Lord, when the plowmen shall overtake the reaper. Can you imagine living in a world where there is so much food grown? It takes so long to reap the crops that the person whose job is to plant the next season's harvest comes up to you and says, hey, could you rush it a little bit? Could you get on with it? You're slowing me down from doing my job. Oh, hold on! I'm still reaping from the last season. There's so much growing here. That's the kind of world we will live in. So again, the plowmen shall overtake the reaper and the treader of grapes him who sow seeds, the mountains shall drip with sweet wine, and all the hills shall flow with it. So it's a time of great abundance on the earth. It's also a time of healing. Isaiah chapter 35 and verse 5, and when he comes, he will open the eyes of the blind and unplug the ears of the deaf. You know, my father-in-law was a man who was blind. He always longed and looked forward to a time when he could see again. And when the king returns and establishes for this kingdom, he will do the same thing he did the first time he walked in the earth. What did he do when he was known as Jesus Christ the Messiah? Did he walk around and heal many people?

Didn't he heal the blind? Didn't the deaf hear? Didn't he create wonderful changes, positive changes in people's lives by giving them hope and encouraging them and literally healing them? Well, that'll occur once again, only on a massive scale around the world in this kingdom. So he will open the eyes of the blind and unplug the ears of the deaf. The lame will leap like a deer, and those who cannot speak will sing for joy. Springs will gush forth in the wilderness, and streams will water the wasteland. So it will be a time because of the influence of Jesus Christ, when the world will be healed. People will be healed of their physical diseases. People will be healed of their emotional hurts and pains. People will be healed of their sins as they acknowledge him as Lord of Lords and King of Kings as their Savior. It will be a time of total and complete healing offered to everyone in his kingdom. It will be a time of peace. And mind is our world need peace. That statue you see there sits in front of the United Nations. It was a gift actually from the Soviet Union of all peoples as a gift to the United Nations, and this sculpture is taken from a prophet, the prophet Micah, who said in chapter 4 and verse 3, it says, and he shall judge between many peoples and rebuke strong nations afar off. You see, Jesus Christ will say to the nations of this earth, no longer can you abuse another nation. No longer, because you're bigger or mightier or more powerful, can you go and conquer another people and make them slaves to you or make them subject to you. No longer can you have an undue influence on your neighbors. Can you covet their land or covet the things that they've worked for? That is not acceptable. The king will say in that kingdom, he will rebuke strong nations afar off and they shall beat their swords in the plowshares. They will take what were implements for war and literally beat them in the instruments for growing food, for doing good things for mankind.

Take things that were meant for mankind's destruction and refashion them into something that is for the good of humankind, like growing abundant crops. So they'll beat their swords in the plowshares and their spears in the pruning hooks. Nations shall not lift up sword against nation, like has occurred for so many thousands of years. Neither shall they learn war anymore.

You see, every child would be brought up in a healthy and a new culture in society. Do you know that you have to learn to hate someone? We weren't born hating anyone. We were taught to hate. We were taught to be suspicious against people that have a different skin color or people that have a different hair color or style than we do, or people who are from a different culture than we are, or people who speak a different language than we do. You see, we are taught to hate. We learned that. But in contrast with the world that we live in today, they shall not learn hate or war anymore. Children will attend schools, and I'm proudly here to say that those schools will have prayer in them, and I'm here very proudly to say that those schools will have the Ten Commandments hanging on the wall, and they will be taught the values of God's way of life that produces abundance and happiness and peace of mind. Micah chapter 4 and verse 4, But everyone shall sit under his vine and under his fig tree, and no one shall make them afraid.

For the mouth of the Lord of Host has spoken, everyone will have their own land, their own home, their own crops, their own garden that they can grow. No longer will you walk through the streets, and a group of thugs will intimidate you or make you fearful, or threaten to bash you in the head, or take your money, or come into your home and break in your home and steal your possessions. That will no longer exist in that kingdom. No one shall make them afraid.

Everyone will live in a world of peace and plenty and prosperity. It will be a place of safety. Isaiah chapter 11 and verse 6, The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the young goat and the calf and the young lion, and the fatling together, and a little child shall leave them. God is even going to change the instinctive nature of animals. I would strongly suggest that you do not put a lamb near a wolf today. Okay? That is not a healthy thing. Do not put a young lion and a goat together, because there will only be one of them in a short period of time.

But in the kingdom of God, God is literally going to change even the instinctive nature of animals, so that the carnivores will no longer desire to kill and devour the weak. So that's another change that will take place, symbolized here by the fact that everyone, including children and animals, and there will no longer be poisonous snakes and poisonous spiders and things that can hurt us. We will live in a world of complete safety and peace and harmony. And this is exciting. What will also permeate and be a part of that kingdom? Well, it will be the knowledge of God. As the prophet Isaiah wrote in chapter 11 and verse 9, they shall not hurt nor destroy in my holy mountain, for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.

Have you ever been on an airplane flight and you go over the ocean? I have on my way to Europe at one time and Hawaii at another. And for hours and hours and hours, all you see is water down there. You look out the window, all you see is water. Well, drawing from this analogy, the prophet said that the knowledge of God will be so great throughout the earth, will literally flood the earth with the values and the laws of God. It will cover that knowledge, will cover the earth like the waters cover the sea. What a beautiful word picture, realizing what God will give us. And that is the precious truth of his knowledge for all nations and for all peoples.

So what part can you play in this kingdom? If you want to be a saint, if you desire the disciple of Jesus Christ. Well, 1 Corinthians 15 verse 50, Paul said this to the congregation at Corinth, he said, flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God. If we want to be a saint, if we want the blessing of serving alongside Jesus Christ and caring and loving all the physical people who were on the earth at that time, we have to be changed from corruption to incorruption. We cannot be flesh and blood like we are now. Paul continues, he says in verse 51, Behold, I show you a mystery, or I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, not everyone will remain dead in their graves. That's what sleep is likened to in scriptures. But we shall all be changed. There will be a resurrection from the dead for those who were disciples of Jesus Christ in their lifetimes, who prepared themselves to be saints in this kingdom, and for those who were still alive at that time, they too will experience this change from corruptible, physical bodies that we have now into incorruptible spiritual bodies. We will literally be new creatures. Verse 52, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, Paul writes, at the last trumpet.

Now, there happens to be one of God's seven annual holy days that looks forward to this time. It's known as the Feast of Trumpets. And if we understand the meaning of the Feast of Trumpets, and if we celebrate it as God wants us to do, then we're reminded every year that it is the day that pictures the return of Jesus Christ to this earth to literally establish this kingdom. So at the last trumpet, for the trumpet will sound and the dead will be raised incorruptible and we shall be changed. Paul, we, speaking to his fellow disciples, to fellow believers and followers of Jesus Christ, change from the physical, mortal bodies that we have now that are aging, that get tired, that are susceptible to disease. We will be changed into incorruptible spiritual bodies that will no longer get sick, that will no longer need sleep, that will no longer age and wear out as our tense, as our physical tense are doing each and every day. So is this for you? Daniel said in chapter 7 and verse 18, but the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever. So what a tremendous privilege and a gift it is to become one of the saints of Jesus Christ, to understand his calling, to understand what that calling means, to understand our part to play within that calling, to prepare to serve mankind in the kingdom of God. In Revelation chapter 5 and verse 9, John wrote, you ransomed for God's saints from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests serving our God.

So one of the roles that the saints will have will to be religious teachers. Because of what we learn in this lifetime and because of the way that we develop our character through the power of God's Holy Spirit, because of the change that we created within ourselves, we prepare ourselves to serve in that kingdom. We prepare ourselves to be able to help people who are struggling with the things we struggle with today. We can say to them, I've been there, yep, I've done that, I know how it feels, I know exactly what you're going through because I went through that. We will be able to help people and to love them and to nurture them in God's way of life because we desired a better world and because we accepted our calling and began to make those changes in our lives in preparation to be religious teachers in the kingdom of God. Luke chapter 22 and verse 29, something that Jesus said to his 12 disciples. He says, but you are those who have continued with me in my trials and I bestow upon you a kingdom. He said, I promise you that you will be part of that kingdom just as my father bestowed one upon me and that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones judging the 12 tribes of Israel. So Jesus told his 12 disciples and by extension all of his believers throughout history, all of his followers, he said that you are preparing for positions of leadership.

You are preparing for positions of service in my kingdom to be at the same dinner table that I am at and to be able to enjoy the benefits of that kingdom and to love mankind and to help them to grow and reach the potential that I have for them within that kingdom. Revelation chapter 3 and verse 21. Again, John wrote, to him who overcomes I will grant to sit with me on my throne. So what do we have to overcome? If we want to be a saint of Jesus Christ, what do we have to overcome?

Well, we all have our own crosses to bear. Some of us have to overcome very destructive things we learned as children. Some of us have to overcome, as Zig Ziglar calls it, stinking thinking, he calls it. Some of us are far too negative and we look at the whole world as negative. It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy and sure enough everything turns bad and that reinforces our view in the world that it's negative and the cycle continues and just feeds off of itself. Some of us have addictions that we need to overcome. Some of us have very harmful personality traits that we need to overcome. Some of us have blatant sins against God's law that we need to overcome. But we can do it and we don't have to do it alone because God offers the power of His Holy Spirit inside of us so that we can make those changes and overcome those things in our lives. So again, He says to him who overcomes, I will grant to sit with me on my throne as I also overcame and sat down with my Father on His throne. Jesus overcame the world. He overcame the influences of Satan the devil in his life. He overcame the temptations that were there before Him and He conformed to the values of God. And you and I are called to do the same thing only we have additional help known as God's Holy Spirit. Mark chapter 1 and verse 14. Jesus came to Galilee preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God and saying, the time is fulfilled. The kingdom of God is at hand. So Jesus was saying, the time is fulfilled. I am here. I am fulfilling the prophecy and walking among you. The kingdom of God is at hand, Jesus said, because the Son of God is preaching to you, to that audience at that time, their opportunity to become disciples, to accept their calling.

And here's the advice that He gave them, the important next step. Repent and believe the gospel. Believe the good news and in that world that is soon to come to this earth. So I have to ask the question and we're preparing after our short break for the next part of the seminar. Have you really repented? Do you understand what repentance is?