Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand

 

Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand

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Matthew 3:1-4 『 Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.』

『Prepare ye the way of the Lord』. What does this mean? The one who was born as a human spirit of Elijah was John the Baptist. So, that's what John the Baptist does. In Luke 1:17, “And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” Here, the Father is God. Child means Israel. He is the one against whom Israel opposes. So, in order for those who have left God to return to God, the people (John the Baptist) are being prepared for the Lord.

John the Baptist came and called the people of Israel to repent. He said to bring forth the fruit worthy of repentance. The saying that the law and the prophets were until the time of John applies here. The point of John the Baptist's cry is that God's judgment is imminent, so repent, realize that you are a sinner in the law, and find Christ. The proper fruit of repentance is the discovery of Christ. This is “to turn the hearts of fathers back to their children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous.” This is to level the way and prepare the way.

The purpose of John the Baptist's birth into this world was to announce the coming of Christ. The Israelites believe that if they keep the law, they will become righteous, but they must repent. It is to realize that they cannot escape from sin in that law and to turn back. It is a call to discover Christ and turn to Christ. Then it contains the message that Christ will come and give a way back to God.

John the Baptist came into the world before Jesus and spoke the word (repent) to make the way forward, but the Pharisees and scribes who were at the level of the leaders of the Jews did not understand. Like John the Baptist, Jesus said that he would not only be treated as a man, but he would also suffer. In Isaiah 40:3, “The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.” What does the wilderness and the desert refer to? The wilderness and desert that John the Baptist calls out is speaking of Israel, and it is a voice that is calling out to the world.

All those who do not meet Jesus Christ are those who are their masters. Those who believe that they can achieve righteousness by their own strength. God gave the people of Israel a law, saying that if they obey it, they will be blessed, and if they do not follow it, they will be judged. However, the people did not realize that they were sinners who could not keep the law, and they tried to keep the law, just as they could become righteous. The Bible says that the law and the prophets were until the time of John.

It is said that we can be saved only after the law is over and we meet Jesus. The “great and dreadful day” is the day when Jesus judges the law. Jesus died to the law. So those who are in Christ also died to the law. However, for those who believe in the law, the coming of Jesus will be a great and dreadful day for them. Far from discovering Christ, they crucified Him and put Him to death. Even today, Jesus Christ came and died on the cross for those who repent, but if they still think legally and live in the church, they will be in denial of what Jesus accomplished.

Trees that do not bear fruit will be cut down with an ax and thrown into the fire. The food that John the Baptist (the Age of the Last Law) ate was locusts and limestone. These foods symbolize the word of repentance (honey) and the judgment of those who are in the law (locusts), as in Psalm 119:103.

 

In the Old Testament (Malachi), God said, “Before the great and dreadful day of the Lord comes, God will send the prophet Elijah to turn the people around.” Believing the words of the prophet Malachi, the Israelites believed that Elijah had to come first before the Messiah came. But Jesus also said in Matthew 17:10-13, 『And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come?And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things . But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them.Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist.” This Elijah is John the Baptist.

 

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