God's Kingdom: It's All About Jesus

Throughout Scripture, God's kingdom is depicted as a place and time of cosmic restoration. In Old Testament prophecies God says, "See, I will create new heavens and a new earth" (Isaiah 65:17; cf. 2 Peter 3:13; Revelation 21: 1-5). After Jesus conquered sin on the cross and returned from the grave in triumph over death itself, Peter proclaims the good news in Jerusalem, saying "Heaven must receive [Jesus] until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets" (Acts 3:21). Paul also emphasizes the universal scope of God's redemptive work: "For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in [Jesus], and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross" (Colossians 1:19-20). Just as nothing in creation remained untouched by sin after Eden, so nothing in creation can remain untouched by God's redemption after Christ's victory on the cross."  - Craig Bartholomew and Michael Goheen, "The True Story of the Whole World" , 2009, Faith Alive Christian Resources, Grand Rapids, Michigan. pg. 170