Has the Kingdom of God Come with Power?

 Written by Rev Zheng translated by Wu Simin on 18 September 2022

“I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Kingdom of God come with power.”

Mark 9:1

This is a hard saying, has not the Kingdom of God already begun to come along with the preaching ministry of the Lord Jesus? The signs and wonders He performed manifest the Kingdom of God (Luke 11:20), has it not come with power? Furthermore, if “the kingdom of God come with power” refers to the coming of Christ at the last day, how could anyone from the generation of the Lord Jesus still be alive?

The meaning of this saying is, “The people of this generation will certainly see the Kingdom of God come with power.” So, “the Kingdom of God come with power” refers to events that took place during that generation. The question would be, which event was it? Let us look at a few verses.

The Lord said in Luke 12:50, “But I have a baptism to undergo, and what constraint I am under until it is completed!” This baptism does not refer to the baptism at the Jordan River, which had already happened; it refers to the pouring out of his blood on the cross. In other words, the work of the Lord will unfold immeasurably after his death.

In John 16:7 He said, “It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.”  The Counselor that is coming is none other than the Holy Spirit.

John 7:38-39 records, “Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.” By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.”

It is clear that the constraint the Lord spoke about is that “the Holy Spirit has not been given”, and the event in which “the Kingdom of God come with power” is the outpouring of Holy Spirit!

According to the will of the Father, the Holy Spirit raised Christ from the dead on the third day! (1 Timothy 3:16) The Holy Spirit descended on the disciples during the Pentecost, enabling them to be filled with power, to understand the Kingdom’s business, and to preach Christ with strength and courage! On that day three thousand people believed and were saved! The disciples performed signs and wonders by the power of the Holy Spirit, and the number of Jesus’ followers increased exponentially! From Jerusalem to Judah, Samaria, Asia Minor, Europe, and the rest of the world, the Gospel continues to advance till this age! The work of the Church has greatly manifested the power of the Kingdom of God, far beyond what the Lord Jesus demonstrated when he was on earth. Truly, as Jesus said, “The people of that generation have witnessed the Kingdom of God come with power!”

Dear brothers and sisters, fear not the evil forces, the church is born and nurtured by the invincible Kingdom’s power that has grown unabated throughout history! Let us unite in hosting the Gospel rally and work with the Holy Spirit to bring lost souls to the gate of the Gospel!