The forerunner, John the Baptist, proclaimed the Jewish salvation. The prophecies that accompanied the birth of John the Baptist reveal that John, the herald of the Lord Jesus, was proclaiming a Jewish redemption.

To spiritualize the term "Israel," as employed above, is to take unwarranted liberty with the Word of God.

That he would grant unto us, that we [Jews] being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear, In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life. (Luke 1:74,75)

A careful view of these verses reveals that the Lord Jesus came first of all for the benefit of the Jews, that they might lead a righteous and holy life.

Mary announced the Jewish salvation. Notice the prophecies addressed to Mary, the Jewish girl:

He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. (Luke 1:32,33)

"And of his kingdom [singular] there shall be no end."

Some claim the Lord Jesus will rule over a Jewish kingdom on earth, and a Gentile kingdom in Heaven in the spirit realm. We believe there is no such concept in the Scripture. The two-kingdom notion is pure human conjecture, totally unscriptural, totally illogical, and serves only to destroy our understanding of the one Kingdom of God.

Let the individual who holds such a view find one instance in God's Word that speaks of two kingdoms. The argument that the Gospels speak of a Kingdom of Heaven, and then of a different Kingdom of God, is proven false by the fact that the Lord Jesus in Matthew applied His parables to the Kingdom of Heaven and in the other Gospel accounts applied the same parables to the Kingdom of God.

The Kingdom of God is at hand, that is, the Kingdom that comes from Heaven. There is only one Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God is destined to come down from Heaven and to be set up on the new earth and governed by the new Jerusalem, the holy city, the Bride of the Lamb, the glorified Church of Christ.

He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy; As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever. (Luke 1:54,55)

Any unbiased interpreter of the above passages would consider the Gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven to be addressed primarily to the nation of Israel.

The Lord Jesus was raised in a Jewish family. Perhaps we do not think often enough about the first thirty years of Christ's life. His parents were forced to flee to Egypt while He was very young, and then the family returned to Nazareth.

No doubt Jesus had a normal upbringing in a devout Jewish home.

He had brothers and sisters.

Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary? and his brothers, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas? And his sisters, are they not all with us? From where then hath this man all these things? (Matthew 13:55,56)

The family obeyed the commandment concerning going up to Jerusalem on the feast days.

And when he was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast. (Luke 2:42)

The family had "kinsfolk and acquaintance"—all Jewish.

But they, supposing him to have been in the company, went a day's journey; and they sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance. (Luke 2:44)

To be continued.