Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. (Matthew 3:12)

John the Baptist announced both dimensions of the Gospel: the forgiveness and removal of sin and the coming of the Kingdom of God into the earth.

Notice carefully that the Lamb of God does not take away only the guilt of the sins of the world, but the sin itself. This is the difference between the sacrifices of the old covenant and the sacrifice of the new covenant.

For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins. But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. (Hebrews 10:1-4)

John announced the removal of sin through the Lamb of God, and also the coming of the Kingdom of God to the earth.

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. (Matthew 3:1,2)

John the Baptist was the herald of the King. He preached repentance on the basis that the righteous and holy Kingdom of God soon is to enter the earth.

Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus of Nazareth announced the blood atonement:

For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. (Matthew 26:28)

Christ proclaimed also the Kingdom of God, the entrance of the rule of God into the earth:

From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. (Matthew 4:17)

When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: (Matthew 25:31)

A large part of Jesus' teaching consisted of parables about the nature of the Kingdom.

And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said, The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son, (Matthew 22:1,2)

Then said he, Unto what is the kingdom of God like? and whereunto shall I resemble it? It is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and cast into his garden; and it grew, and waxed a great tree; and the fowls of the air lodged in the branches of it. (Luke 13:18,19)

Jesus taught us to pray for the coming of the Kingdom of God, the government of God, into the earth:

Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. (Matthew 6:10)

Jesus informed Nicodemus of the spiritual aspect of the Kingdom:

Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. (John 3:3)

It is interesting to observe Pontius Pilate's perception of Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus had informed Pilate that He indeed is a King:

Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice. (John 18:37)

To be continued.