Yes — Israel rejected the kingdom when it rejected its King, Jesus the Messiah.
John the Baptist announced that the kingdom of heaven was at hand because the King was in Israel’s midst. Israel wanted a political King who would overthrow Rome, but they did not want to face the sin problem He came to solve. Because a King and His kingdom belong together, the nation’s rejection of Jesus was also its rejection of the promised kingdom.
John 1:11 — The Messiah came to His own people and they refused to receive Him.
Matthew 3:2 — John announced the kingdom was at hand because the King had arrived.
Acts 3:25 — Peter linked Israel to the Abrahamic covenant even after the crucifixion.
Psalm 110:1 — The rejected King sits at God’s right hand until His enemies are made His footstool.
John the Baptist opened his ministry by calling on Israel to repent, “for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 3:2). The Gospel of John records the nation’s response to her Messiah: “He came unto his own, and his own received him not” (John 1:11). After the resurrection, Peter stood before “Ye men of Israel” and appealed to “the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed” (Acts 3:25). He went on to say, “Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities” (Acts 3:26). Psalm 110:1 shows the rejected and risen Messiah seated at the right hand of God until His enemies are made His footstool. The Old Testament expected nations to take hold of the skirt of the Jew (Zechariah 8:23) and Gentiles to come to Israel’s light (Isaiah 60:3), but those promises waited on Israel’s acceptance of her King.
Les teaches that the Abrahamic covenant was built on three promises: a nation of people, a land for that nation, and a government exercised by God in the person of the King, who also had to be Redeemer. When John the Baptist said the kingdom of heaven was at hand, the King was already in Israel’s midst; wherever the King is, the kingdom is sure to come. Israel, however, wanted the King and the kingdom only in a political sense — they wanted the Romans thrown out. But they did not want to deal with the sin problem. That, Les says, was their whole problem. Even after the crucifixion and resurrection, God made valid offers to Israel. Peter’s audience was told Israel was now in a position to accept their King, and the disciples stayed in Jerusalem in hopes the nation would still accept Him. But Israel reached a crescendo of rejection when they stoned Stephen. The King has now been seated at the Father’s right hand until His enemies are made His footstool, and nothing regarding His kingship has changed — He is still King of kings and the kingdom is still centered in Him.
Israel wanted the King and the kingdom — they wanted the Romans thrown out. But the Messiah also had to be their Redeemer, and that meant confronting their sins. As Les puts it, the sin problem “got too close to home.” That was their whole problem.
God’s covenant with Abraham promised a nation, a land, and one day a descendant who would be their Messiah, King, and Redeemer. Peter reminded this Jewish audience they were children of that covenant. When Jesus appeared, all three covenant promises were in view; the King was ready to usher in the kingdom.
The King was crucified, raised from the dead, and called back to glory to sit at the Father’s right hand until His enemies are made His footstool. Peter then offered Israel another valid opportunity to accept their King, but the nation’s rejection reached a crescendo at the stoning of Stephen. Yet Christ remains King of kings, and the kingdom is still centered in Him.
John’s cry, “Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand,” was based on the presence of the King. Les explains the kingdom was at hand because the King was there; where the King is, the kingdom is sure to come.
Abrahamic Covenant Promises
Les explains that the Abrahamic covenant involved a nation and a land, and that the light of the Gentiles was to come through Israel and the Messiah.
Israel Rejected King and Kingdom
The King and His kingdom were about to come on the scene, but Israel rejected both; the King was crucified, raised, and called to glory until His enemies are made His footstool.
Kingdom at Hand Because King Present
John the Baptist’s announcement meant the King was in Israel’s midst; Israel rejected the King and the kingdom, but Christ remains King of kings and the kingdom is centered in Him.
A Valid Offer to Accept the King
After the resurrection and ascension, Israel was in a position to accept their King; God made valid offers He knew would be refused.
Wherever the King Is, the Kingdom Is
The kingdom of heaven was at hand because the King was on earth; the kingdom was just over the horizon when Jesus came.
Israel Wanted Political King, Not Redeemer
The Jews wanted the King and kingdom to get rid of Rome, but they rejected the need for a suffering Savior; the sin problem was too close to home.
Disciples Stayed to Offer the King
The disciples remained in Jerusalem to present the King to the nation, hoping Israel would still accept Him and the kingdom could be set up.
Crescendo of Rejection
After promising that He Himself would come as Messiah, King, and Redeemer, God saw Israel’s final opportunity to repent rejected at the stoning of Stephen.
Matthew 3:2: And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
John’s announcement marked the arrival of the King and the nearness of His kingdom.
John 1:11: He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
This verse directly records Israel’s rejection of the Messiah.
Acts 3:25: Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed.
Peter uses the Abrahamic covenant to call Israel back to her King.
Acts 3:26: Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities.
The blessing offered to Israel included turning from sin, the very thing Israel refused to face.
Psalm 110:1: The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.
This is the risen King waiting until His enemies are defeated.
Zechariah 8:23: Thus saith the LORD of hosts; In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you.
Israel’s future acceptance of the King will draw nations to the Jew.
Isaiah 60:2-3: For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.
The light promised through Israel would go to the Gentiles.
They wanted the King and the kingdom in a political sense, especially to be free from Rome. Les says they did not want to deal with the sin problem, because that got too close to home.
They rejected both together. Les teaches that where the King is, the kingdom is sure to come, so refusing the King meant refusing the kingdom.
Yes. Peter told the Jewish men that they were children of the covenant and that God had sent His Son Jesus to bless them by turning them from their iniquities. God made valid offers even though He knew they would be refused.
No. Les teaches that nothing regarding Christ's kingship has changed. He is still King of kings, seated at the Father's right hand until His enemies are made His footstool, and He will return to deal with His covenant people Israel.
Watch the Teaching: Why Peter Said "Whom You Crucified" — Acts 3 & 4 Explained