Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is Near
I was reading during my devotion time and came across something that I hadn’t thought about before. Look at what John the Baptist said when he preached to people:
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” Matthew 3:22
Now look at what Jesus said when He started preaching to the people after John was imprisoned:
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” Matthew 4:17
Interesting isn’t it! The exact same thing! I wonder if the message that they both gave to the people then is the same message that God is giving to us today?
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”
What does “repent” really mean? This term originally meant “a transformative change of heart.” Jesus is asking us to have a change of heart that transforms us. That is why he told the religious leader, Nicodemus (John 3), that he must be “born again.” Nicodemus needed a transformative change of his heart. In the book of Revelation when Jesus is talking to the church of Ephesus (Rev. 2:4-5), he says this, “Yet I hold this against you: you have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.”
Jesus was telling the Ephesians that they needed a heart change back to their first love! They needed to repent. This was a serious error to Jesus that required a change from them. It was so serious that Jesus warned that if they did not respond he would remove their church! That is serious!
What is the “kingdom of heaven?” It simply refers to God’s reign of the world. Jesus is saying that God’sreign of the world is near, so have a transformative change of heart regarding God. Wake up, look to Him, His reign is near. If the kingdom of heaven was “near” at that time, then it is two thousand years nearer now. The people of Jesus’ day had their time to repent, but now we have our time also. They had their opportunity to enter into God’s kingdom, but now is our time! There will come a day when the kingdom of heaven will be complete, but until then…the message to us is the same: Repent for the kingdom of heaven is near.
As a pastor, I am convinced that I have not spent more time calling people to true repentance so that they can experience God’s kingdom. The word“repent” seems “old school” and you don’t hear it used much today. However, calling people to have a transformative change of heart because God’s kingdom is at hand - it is so near… is something that needs to be a primary communication to the people of our day just like it was to the people of Jesus’ day.
So, how is the state of your heart? How close are you to your first love - Jesus? Do you need a transformative change? Let’s ask Jesus to transform us again - that’s true repentance! God loves us so much that He calls us back to Him! Don’t miss the opportunity!
Don Erehart
