"Repent,
for the kingdom of heaven is near!"
It's
a message that ever-so-tragically carries the image of a crazed man on
a street corner with a sandwich sign and megaphone. It's a
message that is ever-so-misunderstood to speak of condemnation,
judgment, Armageddon, and the wrath of almighty God. But, praise
God, nothing could be further from the truth. Repentance is not
condemnation—it's liberation! It's not judgment—it's
joy! It's not Armageddon—it's new birth! It's
not the crushing sneer of a wrathful God but an invitation to the
party of parties, the excitement of excitements, the wedding
banquet of wedding banquets—eternal life! And it doesn't await
some dark and ugly day of God's revenge, but "the kingdom of
heaven is near!" It is now! It knocks at the door of
your heart today and comes like a flood free for the
asking! I have to
believe that when Jesus
finally stood in some Galilean marketplace to unleash His streams of
living water upon the world, He rose triumphantly to His feet, smiled
a smile that would shame the sun, wiped the sweat free from His
forehead, and exploded with all the holiness, joy, and majesty of the
Man He unquestionably was—the Son of the Living God.
"Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near!" Translation: "Come and join the fun!
Be free of all your
sin! You don't have to live like you do for one more hour!"
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Text and photo taken from
Jesus...Yesterday, Today, Forever, by Bruce
Marchiano (p. 29-31). In Jesus...YTF, you'll taste what only a
handful of people tasted 2,000 years ago as Jesus walked among His
most treasured, beloved creation: people. Filled with
breathtaking color photos from The Visual Bible™'s "Matthew."
Jesus...Yesterday,
Today, Forever. Copyright © 1999 by Bruce Marchiano. Published by Harvest House
Publishers, Eugene, Oregon 97402 and Visual
Entertainment, Dallas, Texas 75248. Used on www.LoveLavished.org
by permission.
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