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| THE BEGINNING OF THE
KINGDOM |
#304
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Jesus promised those of His generation that the Kingdom of
God would come in their lifetime. He said, "There are some of
those who are standing here who shall not taste death until they
see the kingdom of God -- after it has come -- with power."
(Mark 9:1) The beginning of the Lord’s Kingdom was to be a “powerful”
event. Just before Jesus ascended to Heaven, He told His
apostles to stay in Jerusalem until they were clothed with
power from on high which they would receive when the
Holy Spirit had come upon them (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:8).
If we are looking for a demonstration of power
to accompany the beginning of the Kingdom, we need look no
further that the second chapter of Acts. Be sure to read this
chapter and see if you do not agree. The apostles are waiting in
Jerusalem, just as Jesus commanded them. Suddenly, the Holy
Spirit came upon them, just as Jesus had promised. That which
followed can be described in no other way than “powerful.”
The house where they were sitting was filled with a sound like a
violent, rushing wind. So great was the sound that people from
around the city came together to see what it was. The apostles
appeared before them with tongues of fire resting upon each one
of them. Then, they began to speak in such a way that people
from at least fifteen different countries heard them speak in
their own language. The message spoken by the apostles
was powerful too. They laid the blame for Jesus’
death upon the audience who stood before them, saying that God
had raised Jesus back to life in accordance with scriptural
prophecies. So convincing was their message that a
powerful response was generated in the audience. Three
thousand people immediately joined the movement which began that
day -- a movement which has continued for two thousand years --
a movement which may be found today upon every inhabited
continent of the globe.
Prior to Acts chapter two, the Kingdom is always described
to be in the future. Following Acts chapter two, the Kingdom is
said to be in existence. And in Acts chapter two, we find
the account of a powerful demonstration, the likes
of which Jesus said would accompany the beginning of His
Kingdom. He had said they would not taste death until they had
seen the kingdom come with power (Mark 9:1). It is
no wonder that the apostle Peter called this day “the beginning”
in Acts 11:15. When he saw the Holy Spirit fall upon the
household of Cornelius in Acts 10, he said it was just like the
Holy Spirit fell upon us “at the beginning.”
What we read in Acts chapter 2 is an account of the
beginning of the Kingdom of God. All the elements of Kingdom
Prophecy were present on that day. It was the right Messiah -
Jesus was born of the right tribe, from the right family, having
fulfilled hundreds of minute details of prophecy about Himself.
It was the right time - in the days of the Roman Empire, after
His ascension to the Father; yet, in the lifetime of those who
had heard Him speak. It was the right place - the city of
Jerusalem. And it was the kind of powerful
demonstration Jesus had promised would accompany His Kingdom. We
should have no doubt that the Kingdom of Christ began in Acts
chapter 2, on the day of Pentecost which followed the
resurrection of Jesus.
We need to learn more about this Kingdom. After all, it is
a “Spiritual” Kingdom and we can be a part of it. Next we will explore Four Essential Elements of a
Kingdom which the scriptures show are present in the Kingdom of
Christ.
| Bible
Probe |
THE BEGINNING
OF THE KINGDOM |
304
|
1. In Mark 9:1, Jesus said that the Kingdom of God would come
with ___ .
2. Where did Jesus tell His apostles to wait for the “power from
on high”? (Luke 24:49)
3. Jesus said that His apostles would receive power when ___ had
come upon them? (Acts 1:8)
4. Upon what special day did the events of Acts 2 take place?
(Acts 2:1)
5. What powerful events took place on the day of Pentecost in
Acts 2?
6. Why did Peter refer to the events of Acts 2 as “the
beginning”? (Acts 11:15)
7. Do you believe that Acts 2 is an account of the beginning of
the Kingdom?
Why?
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Your Bible questions answered here.