The concept of the Kingdom of God was first written about in Exodus.1; a hymn celebrating the crossing of the Red Sea and proclaiming in verse 18 “The Lord will reign for ever and ever” (Jewish Encyclopedia). The concept was later developed by the prophets, especially Isaiah and Jeremiah, and expressed the yearning of the long-oppressed Jewish people for the rule of their God over all the nations.
The Kingdom of God was the central concern of Jesus’ ministry. Mark 1:14–15 records the first words of his preaching ministry: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent and believe in the gospel.” There is a disagreement among scholars as to what Kingdom Jesus was preaching. Some possibilities:
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The dramatic intervention by God in the affairs of humans as depicted in the Synoptic Gospels (Luke 17 and parallels) and the Book of Revelations. This vision would point to a psychology of fear, a preoccupation with the division of the saved from the damned, a focus on...
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Bibliography
The Holy Bible, Revised standard translation. (1972). New York: Thomas Nelson.
The Jewish encyclopedia. (1906). Retrieved from http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/
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Green, M. (2014). Kingdom of God. In: Leeming, D.A. (eds) Encyclopedia of Psychology and Religion. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6086-2_375
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