Matthew 3:2

John The Baptist Begins His Ministry

¹ In those days, John the Immerser went into the desert of Judea preaching [to Jews], saying, ² "You must repent [i.e., change your hearts and lives], for the kingdom of heaven will soon be here." ³ For this is the man who was spoken of by Isaiah the prophet, who said, [Isa. 40:3], "[It is] the voice of a man who speaks out in the desert, [urging people to] make the road for the Lord ready [for Him to travel]; to make a straight pathway for Him [to walk on]."

Kingdom of Heaven

O God

Messiah

Sin

Matthew 4:17

From that time onward Jesus began to preach, saying, "You people [must] repent [i.e., change your hearts and lives], for the kingdom of heaven is near."

Matthew 6:10

May your kingdom come [to earth]; may your will be done on earth just as it is [already being done] in heaven.

Matthew 10:7

And preach as you go, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is near.'

Mark 1:15

and saying, "The appointed time has arrived and the kingdom of God is near. So, you people should repent [i.e, change your hearts and lives] and believe the good news [about the kingdom]."

Matthew 5:10

"Those persons who have suffered for trying to do what is right will be blessed because the kingdom of heaven belongs to them.

Matthew 5:19-20

Therefore, whoever disregards one of these least [significant] requirements [of the law of Moses] and teaches others to [disregard them], he will be considered the least [significant person] in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever obeys them and teaches [others to obey] them, will be considered important in the kingdom of heaven.

Luke 6:20

Then He looked at His disciples and said, "Those of you who have a [sense of personal] need are blessed, because the kingdom of God belongs to you.

Matthew 5:3

"Those persons who feel a deep sense of their personal need are blessed because the kingdom of heaven belongs to them.

Matthew 6:33

So, you should put the kingdom of God and what He says is right first [in your lives], then all these things [i.e., food, drink and clothing] will be provided for you.

Matthew 11:11-12

It is true when I tell you, among [all] those born of women, no one greater than John the Immerser has come along. Yet the least significant person in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

Matthew 11:20

Then Jesus began to rebuke the people of the towns where most of His powerful miracles were performed because they did not repent [when they saw Him perform them].

Matthew 12:41

The people of Nineveh will stand up on the judgment day along with the people of this generation and will condemn them because they repented [i.e., changed their hearts and lives] when hearing the preaching of Jonah [See Jonah 3:5-10], and [now] Someone greater than Jonah is here [i.e., Jesus].

Matthew 13:11

He replied, "You disciples are being given an understanding of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but the crowds of people are not.

Matthew 13:24

[Then] Jesus told them another parable, saying, "The kingdom of heaven is similar to a person who sowed seed in his field,

Matthew 13:31

Jesus told them another parable, saying, "The kingdom of heaven is similar to a seed from the mustard tree which a man took and planted in his field.

Matthew 13:33

Then He told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is similar to yeast, which a woman worked into a batch of dough [i.e., the amount was over half a bushel], until [the dough] was completely leavened [by it]."

Matthew 13:44-45

"The kingdom of heaven is similar to a person finding a treasure hidden in a field. After finding it, he was so happy he hid it [again], then went out and sold everything he owned so he could buy that field.

Matthew 13:47

"Again, the kingdom of heaven is similar to a drag-net [for fishing] that was cast into the lake and gathered all kinds [of fish].

Matthew 13:52

Then He said to them, "Therefore every expert in the law of Moses who has been made a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is similar to a [wealthy] homeowner who brought [both] new and old things out of his supply of goods."

Matthew 18:1-4

At that very time His disciples came to Jesus, asking, "Who then is the most important person in the kingdom of heaven?"

Matthew 18:23

"Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is similar to a certain king who decided to settle his account with his servants.

Matthew 20:1

"For the kingdom of heaven is similar to a farmer who went out early one morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.

Matthew 21:29-32

The son answered, 'No, I will not,' but later changed his mind and went.

Matthew 22:2

"The kingdom of heaven is similar to a certain king who held a wedding reception for his son.

Matthew 23:13

"But it is too bad for you hypocritical experts in the law of Moses and [you] Pharisees! [It is] because you withhold the kingdom of heaven from people, for you do not enter it yourselves, nor [do you] allow those who are trying to enter it to get in. {[{[Verse

Matthew 25:1

"Then the kingdom of heaven will be similar to ten bridesmaids who took their lamps and went out to meet the [bride and] groom. [Note: The picture here is that of a newly married couple returning from a festive reception to the groom's home where they continued celebrating and were welcomed by a late evening wedding party]

Matthew 25:14

"For the kingdom of heaven is similar to a man who planned to go on a trip to a distant country, so called his servants and entrusted to each of them a large sum of money [Note: The narrative that follows suggests that the man was turning over some of his assets to financial managers to invest for him].

Mark 1:4

John [the Immerser] came immersing people in the desert and proclaiming that those immersed on the basis of their repentance would receive the forgiveness of sins [from God].

Mark 6:12

Then they went out and preached that people should repent [i.e., change their hearts and lives].

Luke 9:2

And He sent them out to preach the [coming] kingdom of God and to heal sick people.

Luke 10:9-11

and heal the sick people who live there. Say to them, 'The kingdom of God has come near to you.'

Luke 11:20

But, if I drive out evil spirits by the finger of God [i.e., by God's direct, supernatural intervention], then [that is evidence that] the kingdom of God has come into your midst [i.e., by my presence and ministry].

Luke 13:3

No, I tell you; but unless you repent [i.e., change your hearts and lives], you [too] will all be destroyed just as they were.

Luke 13:5

No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you [too] will all be destroyed just as they were."

Luke 15:7

I tell you that, in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinful person who repents [i.e., changes his heart and life], than over ninety-nine persons who do not need to repent.

Luke 15:10

In the same way, there is joy in the presence of God's angels [i.e., in heaven ?] over one sinful person who repents."

Luke 16:30

Then the rich man said, 'No, forefather Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, [then] they will repent [i.e., change their hearts and lives].'

Luke 21:31

In the same way also, when you see these things happening [i.e., the above mentioned "signs"], you can know that the kingdom of God [i.e., either its heavenly phase or the destruction of Jerusalem] is near.

Luke 24:47

And [the need for] a change of heart and life in order to receive the forgiveness of sins [from God] will be preached in Jesus' name [i.e., by His authority] to people of all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.

John 3:3-5

Jesus said to him, "Truly, truly, I tell you, a person cannot see the kingdom of God [i.e., enter it. See verse 5], unless he is born from above [Note: The words "from above" are also used in verse 31, but in this place they could also mean "again," or "anew" and refer to the source of a person's second birth].

Acts 2:38

And Peter replied, "Every one of you must repent [i.e., change your hearts and lives] and be immersed in the name of Jesus Christ [i.e., by His authority] so that your sins will be forgiven [by God] and then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit [to live in your hearts].

Acts 3:19

Therefore, you people [must] repent [i.e., change your hearts and lives] and turn [back] again [to God] so that your sins will be blotted out and so that you may enjoy times of [spiritual] refreshment from the presence of the Lord [i.e., through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit].

Acts 11:18

So, when the apostles and the brothers from Judea heard these things, they stopped arguing [See verse 2] and gave honor to God, saying, "[This means] that God has permitted the Gentiles also [as well as the Jews] to repent [i.e., change their hearts and lives] so they, too, could have [the promise of never ending] life."

Acts 17:30

Now God made allowance for the times when people were still uninformed [about His complete will], but now [in the Gospel age] He requires all people everywhere to repent [i.e., change their hearts and lives].

Acts 20:21

[You know how] I testified to both Jews and Greeks [i.e., Gentiles], that they must repent [i.e., change their attitudes and behavior] toward God, and have faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.

Acts 26:20

but, [instead] declared to the people of Damascus first, [then] to the people of Jerusalem, and [finally to those] throughout all of the district of Judea, as well as to the Gentiles [everywhere] that they should repent [i.e., change their hearts and lives] and turn to God, doing deeds which demonstrate their repentance.

2 Corinthians 7:10

For the sorrow that God desires produces repentance [i.e., a change of heart and life] that leads to salvation, and which brings no regrets. But the sorrow of the world [i.e., sorrow for wrongdoing for reasons unrelated to God or moral principles] produces [spiritual] death.

Colossians 1:13

He rescued us from the domain of [spiritual] darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son whom He loves,

2 Timothy 2:25

[He must] gently correct those people who oppose [him], in hope that God will give them [opportunity for] repentance, leading to a [full] knowledge of the truth,

Hebrews 6:1

So, we should leave the basic principles of Christ's teaching and go on to maturity. [We should] not lay again a foundation of repentance [i.e., turning away] from deeds of death [i.e., acts that lead to spiritual death or that spring from a spiritually dead person], and of faith in God;

2 Peter 3:9

The Lord is not slow about keeping His promise, like some people are, but is [simply] being patient with you, since He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but He wants everyone to repent [i.e., change their hearts and lives].

Revelation 2:5

So, remember where you have fallen from and repent [i.e., change your hearts and lives] and do the things you did at first [i.e., when you were first converted], or else I will come and remove your lampstand from its place [i.e., I will not permit the congregation to survive], unless you repent.

Revelation 2:21

And I gave her time to repent, but she refused to repent of her sexual immorality.