The Kingdom of Heaven

When Jesus began His ministry, He said, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Matt. 4:17

He said this to Israel, to the Jews, NOT to the world. Jesus’s ministry was TO THE JEWS, to fulfill prophecy. Everything Jesus did was to fulfill the prophecies of the Old Testament, and the promises made TO ISRAEL, about Himself.
“For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but to do the will of Him who sent Me.” John 6:38

So why did Jesus begin by saying the kingdom of heaven was at hand? He was introducing Himself as their King; and where the King is, the Kingdom comes with Him.
What was the qualifier?
They (the Jews) had to accept Him, He must still go to the cross, and they (the Jews) must go through the tribulation. On the other side, Jesus would return, destroy the enemies of Israel (and all ungodly) and establish the 1000 years of His Kingdom.

 

 The father of John the Baptist, Zacharias who was a priest of the Jews in the Temple, said, “Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, for He has visited and redeemed His people, and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David, that we should be SAVED FROM OUR ENEMIES and from the hand of all who hate us.” Luke 1:68-71.

The kingdom for the Jews was NOT about salvation from sin, but salvation from their enemies. The personality that Jesus displayed was not one which the Jews believed would be a conqueror of enemies, so they rejected Him. The Jews would have no part of that. They were not expecting their King to enter Jerusalem on a donkey, so it was easy for them to have Him crucified as a heretic.

Even after His resurrection, Jesus was ready to return imminently as Peter preached, but there was one requirement. In Acts chapter 2, Peter is preaching to the Jews who were in Jerusalem from EVERY nation because of the feast day Pentecost, “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ (Messiah).”

Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let EVERY ONE OF YOU be baptized in the name of Jesus the Christ (Messiah) for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

ALL of Israel was required to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus the Messiah for the forgiveness of their sins. All of Israel, ALL the Jews were required to be made righteous under God because they were supposed to then go and evangelize the world and bring everyone else into the Kingdom.

Well... that didn’t happen.