Introduction
Until Jesus, mankind only received ‘news’ from their prophets, such as Isaiah and the psalmist who each prophesied about peaceful conditions on earth where man would thrive.
“He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.”
- Isaiah 2:4
“The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom.....Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert. The burning sand will become a pool, the thirsty ground bubbling springs. In the haunts where jackals once lay, grass and reeds and papyrus will grow.”
– Isaiah 35:1, 6-7
“The land yields its harvest.”
– Psalm 67:6
“May grain abound throughout the land; on the tops of the hills may it sway”
– Psalms 72:16
“They will build houses and dwell in them; they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit.....No longer will they build houses and others live in them, or plant and others eat."
– Isaiah 65:21, 22
“No one living in Zion will say, “I am ill”; and the sins of those who dwell there will be forgiven.”
– Isaiah 33:24
But when Jesus arrived, he began preaching about a new era for mankind. Not just peaceful life on earth, but he taught that man could enter the kingdom of the heavens where he could enjoy an everlasting heavenly career. Jesus taught:
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”
– Matthew 4:17
“Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.”
– Matthew 4:23
In his first major sermon, called the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus informed us of the invitation to enter into the kingdom of heavens:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.”
– Matthew 5:3-11
“For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.”
– Matthew 5:20
Yes, the good news that Jesus taught is that all mankind who desire it are invited to enter into the kingdom of the heavens. And there’s more! Jesus taught us to refer to God as our own Father:
“This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’ For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”
– Matthew 6:9-15
And if God is our Father, we are all brothers:
“But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers. And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven.”
– Matthew 23:8-9
This relationship carries with it a weighty responsibility:
“But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on.”
– Matthew 5:44-45
The promise of sonship is further supported by the writings of the Apostle Paul so that there is no mistaking this all important point:
“So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
– Galatians 3:26-28
“For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.”
– Romans 8:14-16
“Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir.”
– Galatians 4:6-7
As children and heirs, we inherit our Father’s belongings – including the heavenly kingdom:
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.”
– Matthew 25:34
Only Jesus could reveal this good news. None of the Hebrew prophets knew about this good news: news because it was hidden from them:
“I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness— the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord’s people. To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”
– Colossians 1:25-27
It was hidden even from the angels:
“Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of the Messiah and the glories that would follow. It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.”
– 1 Peter 1:10-12
But our adoption as sons and daughters of God has been the Father’s purpose from the beginning of creation, even before Adam and Eve existed on earth:
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will.”
– Ephesians 1:3-5
This is good news indeed! Praise to the Father for revealing, through His Son, His eternal purpose from the founding of the world – the sacred secret that mankind could be adopted as spiritual sons and daughters of God and enter into the heavenly kingdom to be with our Father and His Christ. The invitation is wide open to all. Who would deny themselves this opportunity to share in the inheritance of this glorious kingdom of the heavens and live forever in the very presence of God?
