The Christian walk is meant, for all relevant purposes, to be a progressive experience based upon the concept of us coming into Christ as newborn babes, desiring the sincere milk of the word that we may grow thereby. In this chapter of our study of the continued growth of God’s kingdom, we will join Christ at the very beginning, and carefully note his teachings, miracles, and his overall outline of the present kingdom of God and of its progress down the corridor of time. We will notice Christ’s approach to the inception of the kingdom, its growth among the nations that eventually uprooted world kingdoms.

Most of all, we want to put in their proper perspective, most of the prophecies spoken of old by the prophets. When was Christ entrusted with the gospel of the kingdom of God? Peter made a grand and informative declaration of Christ the King on the day of Pentecost. His sermon covered the very essence of what the kingdom of God was all about, and where did both David and Christ fit into the prophetic narratives. His audience had partial or full knowledge of Old Testament prophecies concerning the promised Messiah. Thus, Peter began to preach on a topic that was dear to the hearts of the multitudes in attendance. He began at their very roots and from the celebrated scriptures that they studied in their synagogues every Sabbath Day.

The man of whom the prophets spoke was in their midst up until fifty days ago, before he ascended into heaven. But Peter began his sermon by calling to attention a well-informed crowd. With a clarion call for their attention, Peter began:

"Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day. Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his lions, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne; he seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ (Not his second coming as we continue to hear) that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption. This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. Therefore being by the righthand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear. For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, the Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand until I make thy foes thy footstool." Acts 2:29-35.

David had not ascended into heaven, to sit on his throne, but Jesus did; and he is still seated upon David’s throne. See Hebrews 10: 12,13.

Jesus was baptized in the Jordan and went into the wilderness for forty days; after which we are told:

"And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee; and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about. And he came to Nazareth, where he was brought up. Luke 4 :14-16. Mark puts it this way: "Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God and saying, the time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel." Mark 1:14,15.

At this point in time Jesus Christ was well prepared to be the anointed messenger of the emerging kingdom of God. Let us reexamine the fulfilled truths as they relate to the man Jesus Christ. He was born in a timely manner just as the angel Gabriel said. At his baptism, he was anointed with the Holy Ghost without measure.

He was killed and his body laid to rest in a borrowed tomb, but he rose again on the third day as he himself made clear:

"For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the wale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth." Matthew 12:40.

He rose again on the third day, as the prophets said he would. (Of course, we cannot get three days and three nights from Friday evening after 6.P.M. to Sunday morning at daybreak.) After fifty days among his disciples, he ascended into heaven to sit on the throne of David. To confirm this aspect of the "gospel truth" we refer back to Peter’s sermon on the day of Pentecost. Under great anointing of the Holy Spirit, Peter declared:

"For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, the Lord said unto my Lord, sit thou on my right hand, until I make thy foes thy footstool. Acts 2:34-35.

The writer of Hebrews made an appropriate contribution to the truth we have just mentioned. This is being repeated for good measure, double emphasis, and reassurance:

"And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices which can never take away sins: But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, (upon the cross of Calvary) sat down on the right hand of God; from henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool." Hebrews 10: 11-13.

This is in support of what Peter said in his sermon on the day of Pentecost. When Peter preached, it was only a matter of a ten days that Jesus had ascended into heaven. But Peter referred to a fact that was already done as prophesied by the prophets.

When Jesus returned from the mount of temptation, where he spent forty days being tempted of the devil, he was well prepared for the task ahead. From this point on, he would not be ministering as Jesus, the man from Galilee, or as Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Mary and Joseph. Peter highlighted the main factor that changed the ministry of Jesus Christ. He said in his sermon:

"Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear." Acts 2:33.

At this point, fifty days after Christ died and rose again, and after the out pouring of the Holy Spirit, kingdom truths became real as flames of fire, brand new tongues, and immeasurable portions of the Holy Spirit overtook the hundred and twenty souls in the upper room and went on to shake the entire city of Jerusalem.

In about B.C.712, an ancient prophet wrote, saying:

"And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it." Isaiah 40:5.

Let us fast-forward down the corridor of time a mere 712 years and take our seats among the 120 souls (at least that many) in the upper room at about dawn on the day of Pentecost. Without any warning, here is what happened!

"And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared (meaning in a visible form) unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.

This miraculous event was not the infilling of the Holy Spirit. The fire did not go inside the disciples—IT SAT UPON EACH OF THEM—each person saw the fire sitting upon the other—and indeed, they all saw the tongues of fire just as Isaiah said that God’s glory would be revealed, and all flesh (everyone in the upper room) saw it together. (Isaiah 40:5.

What began to unfold that early morning on the day of Pentecost suddenly turned Jerusalem into chaos. Thousands of people even from far off places usually make the pilgrim journey to Jerusalem to celebrate this particular feast day. But this one brought scenes and displays that were never seen there before. In light of this heavenly visitation in a visible demonstration of God’s Holy Ghost fire, what do we suppose the behavior of at least the 120 souls who were caught up in this mighty revelation from heaven? Do you think that all souls present joined hands and began to worship in heavenly tongues? We call this (flowing together) but the actual demonstration prompted Peter to observe:

"Others mocking said. These men are full of new wine. But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words: For these are not drunken as ye suppose seeing it is but the third hour of the day. Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear." Acts 2:13-15,33.

Based upon Peter’s statement it would appear that the amazing display of the Holy Ghost in visible forms must have been seen by the crowd inside and outside of the upper rom. The crowds came together in a mighty crush; and they saw and heard all that was transpiring and were confounded. Those in the upper room were not standing in a smart stance as the worshiped the Lord. There was nothing orderly about this gathering. In fact their manner of worship and praise caused Peter to explain to the crowd:

"These are not drunken as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day." Acts 2:15.

Let us pose a question to ourselves at this juncture! Was this mighty outbreak of power and the visible display of Holy Ghost dynamics intended for that day only? Although Jesus Christ foretold that the Spirit filled disciples should be his witnesses beginning at Jerusalem, and in all Judea and in Samaria, even to the end of the uttermost part of the earth, they lingered much too long in Jerusalem, and it took persecution to drive them out of town.

Concerning spiritual and biblical matters, it is necessary that the old story of the cross be preached over and over down through the ages. It is like being in a meeting where a number of preachers are listed to speak, with the theme being John 3:16. Amazingly enough a dozen preachers can step to the podium and each speaker brings forth his own thought and bundle of truths from the same scripture.

The going forth of the gospel to all nations was predicated upon the words of Christ himself. In what is called "The Great Commission" Jesus told his disciples, saying, "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." Mark 16:15.

As Jesus approached the end on his earthly ministry, he once again appeared to his disciples in the upper room and said unto them: "Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, EVEN SO SEND IT YOU. Whosoever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sin ye retain, they are retained." John 20. 21-23.

This pattern of recruitment into the ranks of "Christ’s Discipleship" is highlighted again by Paul in one of his pastoral letters: this one is to his son in the gospel, Timothy. "Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou unto faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also." 2nd Timothy 2:1-2.

This is a partial account of why the gospel story and the intrigues of God’s kingdom upon the earth must continually be told from one generation to another until Christ the King of kings appear to put his finishing touch to the entire process. You and I are able at any given time to view and understand only a minute segment of the massive contents of the Divine Plan for the ages. We shall know as we follow on to know.

We must repeat that the concept of God’s kingdom being established upon the earth was first alluded to in about the year B.C.580 as we read:

"And in the days of these kings (meaning the kings of Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome) shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people , but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.

Daniel 2:44. About one hundred and seventy-eight years later, the prophet Isaiah joined in becoming a witness to the promise of God’s emerging kingdom. He had this to say:

"...In about the year B.C. 713: Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness, (that is Christ) and princes (that’s us) shall rule in judgment. And a man shall be as a hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land." Isaiah 32: 1,2.

Just about now, we can remember singing joyfully in church, "Jesus is a rock in a weary land, a shelter in the time of storm." The point we often miss, is that many of the places that we should fill in God’s design from before time began, we lay it all on Jesus. However, Christ himself, and throughout the gospels, we as his people are always included in the dynamics of Christ’s ever unfolding kingdom. We must remember that all the heavy lifting (so to speak) of building the kingdom of God here on earth among men were done by the original apostles.

To fully equip those who’d lay the foundation of the Apostolic Church that was born on the day of Pentecost, upon his ascension into glory, Christ imparted gifts unto men, that quickly became known as the five-fold ministry in the church. This in turn, became known in many circles as "the hand ministry" since the five ministerial gifts can be understood by counting the five fingers of one of our hands. Starting with the thumb, we see the apostles, followed by the index finger being prophets, then evangelists, pastors, and teachers. Ephesians 4:11. Jesus said in his prayer: "

I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do." John 17:4

The truth is that with 12 disciples and at one time 70, in the short space of 3 ½ years the work that we are still involved in today, 2021 years later could not have been done by Christ the MAN. So, what was his strategy to get the work done in reality?

"Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you." John 15:16.

Notice that Jesus did not begin his ministry his ministry until after John was cast into prison. Also bear in mind that John’s baptisms were unto repentance pointing to Christ, the coming Messiah. However, when Christ began to preach, his sermon was that the time was fulfilled (the 69 weeks of Daniel) and the kingdom of God is at hand.

When he sent his disciples to preach, he exhorted them saying: "As you go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven (same as the kingdom of God) is at hand." Matthew 10:7.

Both Christ and his disciples including his immediate apostles all preached the emergence and present realities of the kingdom of God upon the earth. See how time is woven into the prophecies uttered by prophets in olden times. We said previously in this chapter and in previous writings in this series that in the days of four kings, God would set up a kingdom that would not fade away or be given to other people. That truth is carried forward to the vision of John on the isle of Patmos who wrote:

"And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain , and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; and hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth." Revelation 5: 9,10.

I am not a member of the Jehovah’s Witnesses per-se, but I cannot deny the truth of us reigning and ruling with Christ upon his throne (within the realm in which he rules upon his Father’s throne.

"But that which ye have already, hold fast till I come. And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, (when I come) to him will I give power over the nations: And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father. And I will give him the morning star. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches." Revelation 2:26-29.

Thus, we are not left in the dark concerning the future unfolding and establishing of God’s kingdom upon the earth. In fact, John assured us that God himself shall dwell among us. Revelation 21: 3-4. Be of good cheer! His word shall not fail!