Preach the kingdom? Is that the same as preaching the gospel? What about the gospel of the kingdom?

The Great Commission is clear: preach the Gospel to every creature (Mark 16:15). But when the early church obeyed this command, they also preached the kingdom of God (Acts 8:12; 19:8; 20:25; 28:23, 31). Jesus preached the gospel of the kingdom as He offered the kingdom to Israel (Mark 1:14). Yet, He also spoke of the gospel of the kingdom being proclaimed in a future Tribulation (Matthew 24:14). What should we preach today? How should we preach it?

Preach the Gospel Today

The gospel centers on Christ’s first coming. Paul defined the gospel in his epistles: “Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved . . . For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve” (1 Corinthians 15:1–5). Again, Paul declared that “the gospel of Christ . . . is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16). To preach the gospel is to proclaim the good news of spiritual salvation from the penalty of sin through faith in Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection.

Preach the Kingdom Today

The kingdom centers on Christ’s second coming. Though Israel rejected the offer of the kingdom and crucified their King, Jesus continued teaching about a coming kingdom during the forty days after His resurrection (Acts 1:3). The apostles preached the kingdom of God as the church spread across the globe (Acts 28:31). The rejection of one generation did not negate or redefine the promises of God spoken to all generations.

In the teaching of Jesus and the apostles, the kingdom still lay in the future (Acts 1:6). This future kingdom provided hope as the early church grew despite fierce persecution. For example, Paul encouraged the churches in Galatia, “strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, ‘We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God’” (Acts 14:22). Clearly, the church was already a present reality, but entering the kingdom of God lay in the future.1

Therefore, to preach the kingdom is to proclaim a future hope. Like the prophets and apostles, we too look ahead, expecting God to keep His promises about the future as He has in the past. This hope rests on Jesus Christ alone when He comes as King to rule with His people on earth (Revelation 11:15; 19:16; 20:4b).

Preach the Gospel of the Kingdom Today

Our preaching must center on Christ–on both His first and second comings. The reality of His first advent, culminating in the resurrection, provides hope for His second advent as conquering King. The only way to prepare for His kingdom is to believe the gospel.2

Jesus Himself revealed that the entry requirement for His kingdom is being born again: “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God (John 3:3).” In the same passage, Jesus explained how to be born again–believe in Him (John 3:16). The prerequisite for entry into the future kingdom of God is faith in Jesus Christ.

Therefore, when you preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, you also are preaching the gospel of the kingdom.3 The same gospel that saves you from sin also provides entrance into the future kingdom. The hope of salvation is not only eternal life but also participation in the future kingdom of God (Daniel 7:22, 27; Revelation 20:6).4

Conclusion: Preach What?

Today, preach the gospel and preach the kingdom. Expect God to keep His word. His promises regarding a future kingdom on earth are just as secure as His guarantee of salvation from hell. As we lead people to Christ, we gather “sons of the kingdom” (Matthew 13:38). Together as believers in God’s promises, we look ahead to the rule of Jesus Christ on earth and into eternity. We anticipate the day when “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!” (Revelation 11:15).

  1. Acts 14:22 is one of many passages that indicate that the kingdom is not synonymous with the church or fulfilled in the church age. Those in Galatia did not enter the kingdom when they got saved, but they did become part of the church. Once saved, they looked ahead to one day entering the kingdom which provided hope and strength during persecution. ↩︎
  2. When Jesus offered the kingdom to Israel in the first century, He told His hearers how to accept His offer–they must experience spiritual transformation. This requirement echoes the words of the New Covenant, promised by God through the prophet Jeremiah, who foretold of new hearts in those who enjoyed the blessings of that future covenant (Jeremiah 31:33). ↩︎
  3. Some scholars differentiate the “gospel of the kingdom” from the “gospel of the grace of God.” I do not see a need for considering them two separate messages. Instead, I view them as emphases of different aspects of the same gospel. As McDonald explains, “While there is only one gospel, there are different features of the gospel in different times. For instance, there is a different emphasis between the gospel of the kingdom and the gospel of the grace of God. The gospel of the kingdom says, ‘Repent and receive the Messiah; then you will enter His kingdom when it is set up on earth.’ The gospel of grace says, ‘Repent and receive Christ; then you will be taken up to meet Him and to be with Him forever.’ Fundamentally, they are the same gospel—salvation by grace through faith…” [William MacDonald, Believer’s Bible Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1995), 1215.] However, making a distinction between the two descriptions would not imply two gospels in the sense of Galatians 1:6–8. For example, John Walvoord writes of Matthew 24:14, “here the gospel is called the ‘gospel of the kingdom.’ The word gospel here is used in its basic meaning of good news, the good news about the kingdom. . . . If Christ is going to bring a kingdom to earth in His second coming, it is understandable that before He comes there will be a special heralding of the truth of the coming kingdom. This will be the good news that Christ is returning to reign, a message which will encourage those who are afflicted in the great persecution of the end of the age and give them cause to trust in Christ even though they be martyred for their faith. The gospel of salvation will relate them to the first coming of Christ as the ground of their salvation. The gospel of the kingdom will herald the truth of the future coming Christ when the saints will be delivered from their persecutors and the age of righteousness on earth will be inaugurated.” [John F. Walvoord, “Christ’s Olivet Discourse on the Time of the End: Prophecies Fulfilled in the Present Age,” Bibliotheca Sacra 128 (1971): 212–213.] ↩︎
  4. The phrase “gospel of the kingdom” occurs four times in Scripture and in contexts where the establishment of the kingdom on earth is near. Jesus’ initial message was called “the gospel of the kingdom” as He offered the kingdom to Israel conditioned on their repentance and faith (Matthew 4:23; 9:35; Mark 1:14-15). When the Jews refused to repent and rejected His offer of the kingdom, Jesus spoke of a future time when once again the establishment of the kingdom would be near and the “gospel of the kingdom” would be preached to all nations in preparation (Matthew 24:14). In both cases, entry into the kingdom is based upon response to the gospel. The phrase “gospel of the kingdom” emphasizes the result of believing the gospel–eligibility to participate in the coming kingdom. ↩︎