When John the Baptist came on the scene, he said that the Kingdom was “at hand”: “In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is AT HAND” (Matt. 3:1-2).
Following His baptism by John the Baptist, when the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ began, He said that the Kingdom was “at hand”: “From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is AT HAND” (Matt. 4:17).
When the Lord sent out His twelve apostles, He told them to proclaim that the Kingdom was “at hand”: “And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is AT HAND” (Matt. 10:7).
In the original Greek, the single word translated, “is at hand,” means to approach, to draw nigh, to come near. The earthly kingdom of Christ was fast approaching and drawing nigh in the days of John the Baptist, the Lord Jesus, and His disciples.
It was near because the forerunner of the King had arrived to announce the King’s arrival and to prepare the way before Him. Then the King of that kingdom arrived, and He taught Israel how to live in view of that coming kingdom, prepared Israel to go through the Tribulation, and explained His Second Coming to establish His kingdom at the end of the Tribulation. And the King gave Israel the teachings that she was to follow and live by under His reign.
Two thousand years have passed since then and that earthly kingdom still hasn’t started. Why? How could it have been “at hand” back then but still not have happened yet today? The Lord Jesus surely meant what He said, and He cannot lie (Num. 23:19).
According to the prophetic timeline, the literal Kingdom was indeed “at hand.” Centuries earlier, the angel Gabriel spoke to Daniel the prophecy of 69 weeks of 7 years—483 years—extending “unto the Messiah the Prince” (Dan. 9:25), which is precisely this point in Israel’s history, the four Gospel accounts, and Christ’s earthly ministry. After the Messiah would be “cut off” (v. 26) at the Cross, one final week would remain to be fulfilled (v. 27), referring to the seven-year Tribulation.
The 70 weeks will be completed “to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy” (v. 24). This refers to the everlasting righteousness of the Messiah’s kingdom, and the anointing of the Holy of Holies in the millennial temple by the blessed presence of the Holy One of Israel.
How near was the Kingdom? First, there was the three-and-a-half-year earthly ministry of Christ. Second, due to her rejection of Christ, one additional year was to be given to Israel to accept her Messiah, according to the Lord’s parable of the barren fig tree (Luke 13:6-9). This was the year of the Holy Spirit’s ministry following His coming to Israel on the Day of Pentecost. Third, when Stephen was stoned, Israel’s rejection of her Messiah was complete. Before he was killed, Stephen saw Christ standing at the right hand of the Father (Acts 7:56) and ready to pour out His judgment on Israel and the world in the seven-year Tribulation.
When you do the math—3 1/2 years plus 1 year plus 7 years—the Kingdom in those days was about 11-12 years from being established. Thus, the Kingdom being described as “at hand” was accurate. It was very near. Israel was told it was “at hand” by John the Baptist, Christ, and His disciples, because the Kingdom was legitimately being offered and it literally was drawing near in those days.
When Israel stumbled at the Stumblingstone and fell (Rom. 9:32-33), instead of bringing in the prophesied Tribulation followed by the Millennial Kingdom, God postponed these events, temporarily suspending His prophesied program. Israel fell in Acts 7, and then in Acts 9, Christ, by His grace, saved Saul of Tarsus, the chief of sinners (1 Tim. 1:15) and called him to be the Apostle of the Gentiles (Rom. 11:13). Then began a “dispensation of the grace of God” (Eph. 3:1-2), a program with the Gentiles, that had never before been revealed (v. 9).
For the last 2000 years, mankind has been living in the dispensation of grace. This dispensation will close with Christ’s return at the Rapture to catch away to heaven the Church, the Body of Christ (Rom. 11:25). At that time, the Kingdom will again be “at hand.” Following the Rapture, the seven-year Tribulation will take place. At the end of the Tribulation, Christ will return to Israel at the Second Coming. After the Second Coming, Christ will establish His literal kingdom on the earth.