1. The Gospel of Mark is the shortest of the New Testament Gospels and about 93 per cent of its content is covered by Matthew and Luke. Where Mark differs from the others, however, is his provision of more vivid details and his emphasis on the super-human powers of Yah'shua (Jesus), laying more emphasis on what Yah'shua (Jesus) did over what He said. Thus the divinity of Messiah is, in the Marcan view, established by His miracles. It is a very condensed Besorah (Gospel) and like a motion picture, the author rushes from one dynamic scene to the next. He uses the words "immediately" and "straightway" about 40 times to make these rapid transitions. Judging by the lack of references to the Tanakh (Old Testament), his translations of Aramaic expressions, and the themes of power, it is fairly safe to conclude that Mark's Gospel was aimed that those who lived outside Palestine.

2. Very early tradition states that Mark, the son of Mary in Jerusalem [1], wrote this Gospel. We know that John Mark was a cousin of Barnabas [2] and may have been a Levite [3]. Many scholars believe that Mark was the young man described in Mark 14:51-52. He travelled with the apostle Paul and Barnabas on their first missionary journey [4], but Mark turned back [5]. For this reason, Paul refused to consider taking him along on the second missionary journey [6]. Since both Paul and Barnabas had strong opposite feelings about the matter, they decided to go in different directions, Paul with Silas and Barnabas with Mark. However, much later, Paul felt differently about Mark [7].

3. Each Gospel is its own unique testimony giving different insights from the others. We are especially fortunate in having four testimonies of the Good News of Messiah (Gospels) in the New Testament because what one writer may miss out another may pick up. Each individual has his own particular interests and tends to emphasise those things which interest him the most, and Mark is no exception.

4. To understand Mark, as with any writer of scripture, it is important to read, reread, and reread again in order to get the author's original meaning. Even then this is not going to be enough because no matter how much a person writes one will rarely get a complete insight into his mind and heart. Scholars have been examining the scriptural texts for centuries and in their debating have tended to generate more smoke than light. Redaction criticism has not, as a result, shed a great deal of light on Mark or on what he reported as historical fact. The evidence that exists as to the origin of Mark's Gospel and to the way it has been preserved is scant and not sufficient to really draw any final conclusions about the man and his testimony. If we are to understand Mark then we must not only trust the Marcan evidence as being reliable but trust the patristic evidence also -- the alternative is to become agnostic, as is the general rule amongst redaction critics.

5. Mark was an eye witness of the life of Messiah. And whilst modern authors may be able to tell us much about the historical Yah'shua (Jesus), they tend, by the fact they were not eye witnesses, to conceal the living Messiah from us, not by design but from pure circumstances. Even then we must remember that these eye witnesses, though they lived around Yah'shua (Jesus) continually, failed to recognise who He was for so long [8].

6. Each of the Gospels is a complete literary, evangelistic unit, and not just a collection of sayings as in, for example, the Gospel of Thomas. This is important to realise from the outset for it will, if we are honest, prevent us from extracting sayings and events of Messiah without due reference to their historical context as well as to the author's own overall message. Thus contents must be seen in context. It is therefore essential, no matter what scripture we read, to see it in its historico-cultural context, separating, for example, our own values and expectations from those that obtained in the context of the scripture.

7. I will give an example to illustrate how not to interpret scripture. I remember a Mormon girl once reading Luke 24:49 which says:

"And, behold, I send the promise of My Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued (endowed) with power from on high" [9].

9. It is vital, therefore, in reading ancient scriptures that we do not try to superimpose our own ideas, doctrines and understandings in order to effect a syncretisation, but rather let each author speak for himself. The concept of the Kingdom of Elohim (God) is a good one for this term means different things to different people, some maintaining that this is a purely spiritual kingdom, others a political one, and yet others both. Before we look at the nature and meaning of the Kingdom, I would like to give just one more example of how not to interpret a scripture, this time from Mark's Gospel, in order to underscore the absolute necessity of reading every scripture in context.

10. Let us take the well known incident of the Cursing of the Fig Tree in Mark 11:12-14. Many who have read this passage have come to the totally unwarranted conclusion that this was a case of wanton destruction by Yah'shua (Jesus), a demonstration of supernatural bad temper. Certainly atheists would like to believe so. And even after Yah'shua's (Jesus') clarification in vv.20-21 many people still don't understand. What these people tend to miss is that this event is in two parts (vv.12-14 and 20-21) and that they are connected together by a third part, namely the Cleansing of the Temple [11]. Indeed, this is a literary device that is popular with Mark for he likes to split stories in order to convey a deeper spiritual meaning. In the case of the fig tree, this is but an illustration of Israel's waywardness and failure to bring forth righteousness (the figs). The cursing of the fig tree was therefore a living or active parable and was a typical device used by Israelite nevi'im (prophets) of old, though their illustrations tended not to be so supernatural. Two similar active parables in the Tanakh (Old Testament) would be Jeremiah's Parable of the Waistcloth [12] and Ezekiel's Parable of the Siege, Exile and Famine of Jerusalem [13].

11. The scriptures are full of hidden messages and hidden meanings, but they must be searched for with an understanding of the prophetic devices of the time.

12. There are 14 references to the Kingdom of Elohim (God) in Mark's Gospel [14] which we are going to look at in some depth with the goal of obtaining a vision of Mark's view of the Kingdom apart from what we may believe it to be.

Now after John was arrested, Yah'shua (Jesus) came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of Elohim (God), and saying: "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of Elohim (God) is at hand; repent, and believe in the gospel" [15].

Q1: Why did Elohim (God) not permit John the Baptist and Yah'shua (Jesus) to operate simultaneously? Would not the impact of the Gospel have been greater if they had shared a common ministry?

Clue 1: They went on from there and passed through Galilee. And He would not have anyone know it; for He was teaching His talmidim (disciples), saying to them: "The Son of Man will be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill Him; and when He is killed, after three days He will rise." But they did not understand the saying, and they were afraid to ask Him [16].

Clue 2: (Yah'shua/Jesus said): "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem; and the Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn Him to death, and deliver Him to the Gentiles; and they will mock Him, and spit upon Him, and scourge Him, and kill Him; and after three days He will rise" [17]

Clue 3: "For the Son of Man goes as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born [18].

14. There is a direct parallel here between the ministry of John the Baptist and Yah'shua the Messiah (Jesus Christ) as between the mortal ministry of Messiah and the post-resurrection ministry of the Comforter [19], or Ruach haQodesh (Holy Spirit). The passage in Mark 9:31 is the second phase of the three-fold unfolding of the Kingdom of Elohim (God). Thus the Kingdom comes about in three distinct stages and is represented by three different beings:

• (1) The mortal John the Baptist (whom Yah'shua/Jesus calls the greatest navi (prophet) that ever lived [20]);
• (2) The mortal visible Messiah, Yah'shua the Messiah (Jesus Christ); and
• (3) The invisible Ruach (Spirit) of the immortal Messiah, the Comforter, or the Ruach haQodesh (Holy Spirit) [21].

• (1) That "the time is fulfilled" for it to be preached and for a response to be given by the people -- it is the right season [22]; and
• (2) it is "at hand", or very close by.

Q2. What is this Good News? What type of good news might the more spiritually enlightened of Yah'shua's (Jesus') day have been expecting?

Clue 1: But now, thus says Yahweh, He who created you, O Jacob, He who formed you, O Israel: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are Mine. When you pass through the waters I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through the fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am Yahweh your Elohim (God), the Qadosh (Holy, Set-Apart) One of Israel, your Saviour. I give Egypt as your ransom, Ethiopia and Sheba in exchange for you. Because you are precious in My eyes, and honoured, and I love you, I give men in return for you, peoples in exchange for your life. Fear not, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, and from the west I will gather you; I will say to the north, Give up, and to the south, Do not withhold; bring My sons from afar and My daughters from the end of the earth, everyone who is called by My Name, whom I created for My glory, whom I formed and made."

Bring forth the people who are blind, yet have eyes, who are deaf, yet have ears! Let all the nations gather together, and let the people assemble. Who among them can declare this, and show us the former things? Let them bring their witnesses to justify them, and let them hear and say, It is true. "You are my witnesses", says Yahweh, "and My servants whom I have chosen, that you may know and believe Me and understand that I am He. Before Me no elohim (god) was formed, nor shall there be any after Me. I, I am Yahweh, and besides Me there is no Saviour. I declared and saved and proclaimed, when there was no strange elohim (god) among you; and you are My witnesses," says Yahweh. "I am Elohim (God), and also henceforth I am He; there is none who can deliver from My hand; I work, and who can hinder it?"

"Thus says Yahweh, your Qadoesh (Holy, Set-Apart) One, the Creator of Israel, your King: "For your sake I will send to Babylon and break down all the bars, and the shouting of the Chaldeans will be turned to lamentations. I am Yahweh, your Qadosh (Holy, Set-Apart) One, the Creator of Israel, your King." Thus says Yahweh, who makes a way in the sea, a path in the mighty waters, who brings forth chariot and horse, army and warrior; they lie doww, they cannot rise, they are extinguished, quenched like a wick: "Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. The wild beasts will honour Me, and jackals and the ostriches; for I give water in the wilderness, rivers in the desert, to give drink to My chosen people, the people whom I formed for Myself that they might declare My praise.

"Yet you did not call upon Me, O Jacob; but you have been weary of Me, O Israel! You have not brought Me your sheep for burnt offerings, or honoured Me with your sacrifices. I have not burdened you with offerings, or wearied you with frankincense. You have not bought Me sweet cane with money or satisfied Me with the fat of your sacrifices. But you have burdened Me with your sins, you have wearied Me with your iniquities.

"I, I am He, who blots out your transgressions for My own sake, and I will not remember your sins. Put Me in remembrance, let us argue together; set forth your case, that you may be proved right. Your first father sinned, and your mediators transgressed against Me. Therefore I profaned the princes of the sanctuary, I delivered Jacob to utter destruction and Israel to reviling [23].

Clue 2: Behold, I send My messenger to prepare the way before Me, and Yahweh whom you seek will suddenly come to His Temple; the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says Yahweh of hosts [24].

17. The "Gospel" is, as these two Tanakh (Old Testament) passages clearly show, the good news of the coming of Elohim (God) as prophesied by Isaiah and Malachi. John the Baptist was the messenger preparing the way before Elohim (God), and Messiah was Elohim (God) in the flesh. A King does not speak before His messenger has delivered His message! Thus John the Baptist and Messiah could not minister together, because the one was announcing the other. And yet Elohim (God) in Messiah is also making an announcement -- that of the Kingdom. The messenger announces the coming King and Kingdom, and the King proclaims that the Kingdom has come.

Q3. In what ways were the repentance of John and the repentance of Messiah the same or different?

Clue 1: John the Baptiser appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins [25].

18. There is essentially no difference between the repentance of John and of Yah'shua (Jesus). Both called the people to make teshuvah (repentance) and both taught that this involved a change of mind, a conscious turning, a coming to one's senses and a change of conduct. This is portrayed in its most intimate detail in the Parable of the Prodigal Son [26]. Here in Mark 1:15 Yah'shua (Jesus) is calling the people to believe that the hoped for Kingdom is not only imminent but has also arrived. He uses what theologians call a sympathetic parallelism by saying the Kingdom is at hand and the Time is fulfilled. The two are one. Thus one could equally say that the Kingdom is here. There is a simultaneous looking backwards and forwards.

And Yah'shua (Jesus) said to them, "To you has been given the secret of the Kingdom of Elohim (God), but for those outside everything is in parables [27].

"Let the children come to Me, do not hinder them; for to such belongs the Kingdom of Elohim (God). Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the Kingdom of Elohim (God) like a child shall not enter it" [28].

• (1) When Messiah proclaims the Besorah (Gospel), the Kingdom comes near; and
• (2) The Kingdom is present -- it is already given.

"Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see that the Kingdom of Elohim (God) has come with power" [29].

• (1) It comes spacially (as opposed to temporally) wherever Messiah is present physically because Yah'shua (Jesus) is the Kingdom Himself. Thus Yah'shua (Jesus) not only announces or proclaims the Kingdom but brings it in His Person; and
• (2) The Kingdom comes to individuals in a spiritual sense in different degrees of power. This spiritual quality is emphasised when Yah'shua (Jesus) equates child-like innocence and ahavah (love) as pre-requisites to entry into the Kingdom [30].

"This is what the Kingdom of Elohim (God) is like. A man scatters seeds on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps of gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces corn -- first the stalk, then the ear, then the full kernel is the ear. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come" [32].

"What shall we say the Kingdom of Elohim (God) is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest seed you plant in the ground. Yet when planted. it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds of the air can perch in its shade" [33]

Q4. What is the fullness of the Kingdom? What implications does this have for those seeking after the Kingdom?

Clue 1: Be perfect, therefore, as your Heavenly Father is perfect [34].

Clue 2: Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I shall be perfected [35].

Clue 3: I do not pray for these only, but also for those who believe in Me through their word, that they may be echad (one); even as Thou, Father, art in Me. amd I in thee, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that Thou hast sent Me. The glory which Thou hast given Me I have given to them, that they may be echad (one( even as We are echad (one), I in them, and Thou in Me, that they may become perfectly echad (one)... [36]

Clue 4: Therefore leaving the elementary principles of the doctrine of Messiah, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of emunah (faith) toward Elohim (God) [37].

24. The fullness of the Kingdom is Messiah Himself, as Mark established at the beginning. The full revelation of the Kingdom is the full revelation of Messiah, which is perfection, the same perfection to which His followers have been called. This perfection occurs by degrees, growing like a mustard seed into a huge plant.

"To you has been given the secret of the Kingdom of Elohim (God), but for those outside everything is in parables; so that they may indeed see but not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand; lest they should turn again, and be forgiven [38].

Q5. Why is the Kingdom of Elohim (God) secret?

Clue 1: "But when you pray, go to your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you (openly)" [39].

Clue 2: Yah'shua (Jesus) spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; He did not say anything to them without using a parable. So was fulfilled what was spoken through the nevi'im (prophets), "I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter [secret] things hidden since the creation of the world" [40].

Clue 3: "Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, He (Messiah) is in the desert; go not forth: behold, He is in the secret chambers; believe it not [41].

Clue 4: "For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open. If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear" [42]

Clue 5: "I have spoken openly to the world," Yah'shua (Jesus) replied. "I always taught in synagogues or at the temple, where all the Judeans come together. I said nothing in secret [43].

25. There is great confusion as to the meaning of the word "secret" both in Mark and elsewhere in the scriptures, some maintaining that everything should be done openly, no matter what, and others maintaining the opposite. But what Yah'shua (Jesus) teaches in the Gospels is that every unrighteous thought or deed will be exposed and that He has never plotted or performed any wickedness in secret places as conspirators do. But He also maintains that some things are too sacred to be given to unbelievers save in parables, and thus the mysteries of the Kingdom are hidden up:

"Cast not that which is qadosh (holy, set-apart) unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rent you" [44].

"Go, and say to this people: 'Hear and hear, but do not understand; see and see, but do not perceive. Make the heart of this people fat, and their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed" [45].

28. Thus two classes of people hear Yah'shua's (Jesus' parables on the Kingdom. When confronted with a similar event, the dull and blind see only a disturbing enigma. Parables are given as revelations to hard hearts, to gently prize them open. Mark 4:26 is a parable unique to Mark for the emphasis is placed in the germinating seed. Just as a seed grows automatically and invisibly, so too does the understanding of Elohim's (God's) Kingdom on the soft and receptive heart. A great occult knowledge is not required to understand the Ways of Elohim (God) for a true understanding of the Kingdom comes only through a right heart, like that of a trusting child.

29. The Kingdom of Elohim (God) is, to Mark, a CONDITION OF BEING. There are some who try to make a distinction between the Kingdom of Elohim (God) and the Kingdom of Heaven, saying that the former is temporal and the latter spiritual. But this is not the message of Mark, and elsewhere in the other Gospels, where 'Kingdom of Heaven' and 'Kingdom of Elohim (God)' are used interchangeably. When men and women receive the Kingdom of Elohim (God) within their hearts then, like Messiah, they bring that Kingdom into material space. Messiah warns against churches and organisations who say that they 'have' or 'are' the Kingdom because of some set of external given "authority" [47] or credentials when He says:

"The Kingdom of Elohim (God) does not come visibly, nor will people say, `Here it is`, or `There is it`, because the Kingdom of Elohim (God) is within (or among) you" [48].

• (a) The Patriarchal Order, such as was established through the Covenant of Abraham;
• (b) The Tribal Confederacy, a loose political association of the 12 Tribes of Israel under the Mosaic Covenant under the spiritual government of the Cohen Gadol (High Priest) and a Judge (who was frequently a military commander also); and
• (c) The Monarchy, a centralist government with a combined spiritual-political head, the King (the best examples of which are the kingdoms of David and Solomon).

Q6. Why were not the spiritual and political kingdoms of Israel restored by Yah'shua (Jesus) simultaneously?

Clue 1: "No-one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. If he does, the new piece will pull away from the old, making the tear worse. And no-one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. No, he pours new wine into new wineskins" [49].

Clue 2: "For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little" [50].

Clue 3: "When a farmer ploughs for planting, does he plough continually? Does he keep on breaking up and harrowing the soil? When he has levelled the surface, does he now sow caraway and scatter cummin? Does he not plant wheat in its place, barley in its plot, and spelt in its field? His Elohim (God) instructs him and teaches him the right way" [51].

Clue 4: "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven..." [52].

Clue 5: "...You will ever be hearing but never understanding; you will ever be seeing but never perceiving. For this people's heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes..." [53].

32. The teaching that Yah'shua (Jesus) brought was but a small seed that would require many centuries before it would grow up into maturity. There would be times when it would not be properly cared for, would become stunted, and die, because the soil was not properly prepared [54]. The seed would need to be replanted many times before the conditions of people's hearts were right enough for it to grow to its full maturity.

33. The history of Christianity is vivid testimony of these things. Though the Kingdom of Elohim (God) was present from the beginning, and has always been present, the soil of the human soul has rarely been properly prepared or tended. There have been many political kingdoms since the first advent of Messiah, but none of these have been a true Theocracy, even though many have assayed to be such.

34. Thus there is indeed to be a Theocracy, a Political-Spiritual Kingdom, but it is not yet.

35. And yet wherever there are men and women with true hearts, there is a sense in which both the spiritual and temporal kingdoms find their manifestation on the earth in small communities of true believers. This 'theocracy' is, however, manifested within the medium of human governments and philosophical systems. True Christianity has always therefore been a 'kingdom within a kingdom'; it cannot be a complete theocracy because the qodeshim (saints, set-apart ones) will always be subject to earthly governments in one form or another (at least until the Final Gathering), though this is not sufficient reason, according to Mark, to postpone the restoration of divine theocracy. Yah'shua (Jesus) gives parables of farmers sowing fields that summonse to memory the call of Elohim (God) through the navi (prophet) Joel:

Swing the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, trample the grapes, for the winepress is full and the vats overflow -- so great is their wickedness! [55].

If anyone is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in His Father's glory with the qadosh (holy, set-apart) malakim (angels) [56].

At that time men will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory" [57].

38. This state of affairs is consistent with scriptural prophecy. Human nature being what it is (weak and inconsistent), we would be suprised to find anything else. For this reason many Christians and Messianics throughout the centuries have acknowledged that the Kingdom was only partially among them, and they therefore looked forward to a time when it would one day be restored in its fullness. This was clearly understood by the church father, Clement of Alexandria, who speaks of the Kingdom of Elohim (God) "coming around the corner", always close but never fully consummated [58]. So it is with us.

39. The people of Elohim (God) are Elohim's (God's) crop, His harvest, and He is standing in the midst of us as the Harvester. In that sense Messiah's work is the fulfillment of the nevi'im (prophets); in the sense of earth's history, the seed was sown in the time of the patriarchs and grew during the dispensation of the Israelite people of the Mosaic Torah (Law). The harvest began with Yah'shua's (Jesus') mortal ministry and has been going on to this very day. It has never stopped. This is very much the sense of the message in Isaiah:

As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is My Davar (Word) that goes out from My mouth: It will not return to Me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it [59].

Elohim (God) is spiritual: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and emet (truth) [60].

42. It is no coincidence that amongst Yah'shua's (Jesus') talmidim (disciples) were two who typified the "outer-first" view of the Kingdom of Elohim (God). Though none of the apostles was, at first, spiritually-minded, they were headed in the right direction. Both these men were zealots, members of a political party whose aim was the restoration of the Kingdom of David by armed insurrection: the first was "Simon the Zealot" (also called 'the Canaanite') and the other was "Judas Iscariot" (which also means 'assassin' or 'zealot') [61].

43. The zealots were formed by a Pharisee rabbi known as Judas of Galilee in A.D. 6 when Rome took direct control of Judea. It was a highly militant revolutionary group composed of both Pharisees and Essenes. They were not, therefore, a 'sect' but a movement whose membership was drawn from a number of sects. By A.D. 44 their activity had so intensified that some sort of armed struggle was inevitable and in A.D. 66 this struggle erupted with a fully organised revolt. It was a futile conflict -- at Caesarea alone 20,000 Judeans were massacred by the Romans. Within four years Jerusalem was raised to the ground and the Temple left in ruins as Yah'shua (Jesus) had prophesied [62]. A mass exodus of Judeans from the Holy Land began, followed by one more revolt in A.D. 132. The result was that Emperor Hadrian decreed the explusion of all Judeans from Judaea and Jerusalem was renamed Ælia Capitolina.

44. The zealots were true 'messianists' and sought for the High Priest-King Messiah who would supplant the puppet high priests established by Rome in Jerusalem. It is not surprising, then, that zealots should be counted amongst the followers of Yah'shua (Jesus). They would have found little comfort, though, in Yah'shua's (Jesus') teachings of the Kingdom of Elohim (God) which were pacifist and non-political. There have always, though, been 'zealots' in Christianity who, like their forbearers, have attempted to establish the Kingdom of Elohim (God) by force. They exist today in many guises and though amongst the majority of Christians wielding literal swords is no longer an accepted means of conquest any more, they wield different kinds of 'swords'; any kind of religion that attempts to use coercision without the consent of the people may be said to be our modern equivalent of the Christian, Zionist or Messianic "zealot" [63]. They are typically those who wish to build the political or organisational Kingdom of Elohim (God) before the spiritual, and often do not understand what the spiritual is. Their's is often a very Tanakh (Old Testament) attitude of "conquer by the sword" and they not untypically use militaristic language in their portrayal of the Besorah (Gospel) [64].

45. In recent times (late 20th century), we have seen the rise of 'liberation theology', based in good measure upon a combination of traditional Christianity and secular Marxism, and Christians prepared to take up the gun and kill to combat injustice: these are perhaps the most literal modern equivalents of the zealots of old. The fact that two zealots were represented in the Twelve in Yah'shua's (Jesus') day is perhaps a reminder that Christian/Messianic/Zionist/Neoconservative zealots will always be amongst us in various guises; instead of casting them out, though, they should, wherever possible, be nourished and taught until they are able to think spiritually.

46. One presumes Simon the Zealot did indeed come to spiritual enlightenment; Judas the Zealot did not, however, and by the same token we should not be surprised to find 'Christians' and 'Messianics' who are not really Christians or Messianics at all. They are, like Judas, in the end revealed by their works [65]. They often "run ahead" and "do not continue in the teaching of Messiah" [66]. Like Judas, they become spies, envying the freedom the Besorah (Gospel) brings to Elohim's (God) people, and try to make them slaves [67]. Thus the zealot becomes an obstacle to, and enemy of, the real Kingdom of Elohim (God). He seeks to impose it outwardly without having any real comprehension of its substance, its inward reality.

47. There are some other important observations we must make about Mark's use of the Parable of the Mustard seed in our understanding of the Kingdom of Elohim (God) [68]. It is no accident that Yah'shua (Jesus) compares the Kingdom with a little seed. It appears, at first, quite insignificant if ajudged by its size, and yet the seed, once established, is a virtual certainly. Thus size and certainty are contrasted. Herein is another lesson: size is in no way related to its real importance. Most of the greatest Christian/Messianic enterprises have always started from humble beginnings. The true worth of the Kingdom of Elohim (God) is not, therefore, determined by, for example, the size of a ministry (in terms of human numbers, for example) but in its quality. In employing the parable of the mustard seed, Yah'shua (Jesus) highlights the apparent insignificance of preaching:

"...I tell you the emet (truth), if you have emunah (faith) as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing is impossible for you" [69].

"If you have emunah (faith) as small as this mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it will obey you" [70].

Its leaves were beautiful, its fruit abundant, and on it was food for all. Under it the beasts of the field found shelter, and the birds of the air lived in its branches; from it every creature was fed [71].

50. Mark's Gospel, as we have seen, is principally aimed at Gentiles, and it should come as no surprise, therefore, to find many Gentile stories in his book. Mark is interested in the Gentiles coming to the Kingdom. He wants to assure them that although they are not a part of the stream of Israelite history and have not, therefore, been partakers of its blessings; and even though it was to the Gentiles that Messiah was handed over for crucifixion [74], yet the Besorah (Gospel) is available immediately to them -- they don't have to queue up behind Israelites any more. The parable of the harvest would therefore convey this meaning to them easily, showing them that the Kingdom is relevent to the immediate present -- their immediate present.

51. The Gentile believers must have felt extremely disadvantaged when compared against their Judahite brethren though occasionally they had to be warned by Paul not to become too self-conceited and to remember that without the Judahites they would not have the Gospel [75]. So here Mark tells them that they, too, are a part of the harvest -- Yah'shua (Jesus) has come to them too; the seed has also been planted in them but in a different way, with the Torah (Law) written in their hearts by a good conscience [76].

52. Thus the Kingdom has fully come for Judahite and Gentile. Yet how would this concept of an "immediately available" Kingdom have been understood by them when confronted with a parable of a growing seed illustrating slow and gradual development? The answer to this apparent contradiction must surely lie not in the mustard seed itself but what happens to the mustard seed. The Gentile is supposed to see the mustard seed and contrast this with the fully grown mustard tree: he is supposed, in this parable, to see a vision of the Kingdom of Elohim (God). He is supposed to see what he can become. The seed is Elohim's (God's) free gift in Messiah -- the grace of Elohim (God). His "works" are to prepare the soil of his heart and nourish it diligently. He is to make himself receptive to the Davar (Word), compliant in obedience, and faithful in the final consummation. Elohim (God) does the rest.

53. That first vision of the Kingdom is most important. And there are two parts of it:

• 1. Seeing what the Kingdom is -- its glory and perfection; and,
• 2. Seeing the immediate reality of one's own condition.

55. The beginnings of discipleship in Messiah are very small, as small as a mustard seed; yet because of the potential of the mustard seed -- because infinity is hidden within it, that smallness is really greatness [78]. Mark is therefore also witnessing to the fact that where things look the weakest and most improbable, Elohim (God) is there at work. It is a matter of our perception and response (and thus our faith). Thus Yah'shua (Jesus) says:

"Consider carefully what you hear," He continued. "With the measure you use, it will be measured to you -- and even more. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him" [79].

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourself [80].

58. The Kingdom of Elohim (God) is freely given, but it must be received, planted, and allowed to transform the soul. Such is not a simple process -- the steps between the planting of a seed and its growth to glory as a full tree are, as any Botanist will tell you, extremely complicated. And along the way there are many kinds of dangers which Yah'shua (Jesus) illustrates in many diverse parables. Becoming the Kingdom is thus to be seen as a process of salvation and/or sanctification and a man, having seen a vision of the Kingdom, will not want to rest until he has witnessed that flowering in his own life.

59. The one in whom the Kingdom of Elohim (God) has taken root and is growing is characterised by many qualities best personified in the greatest sermon of all, the Sermon on the Mount, which is fittingly called by some the 'Temple of Truth' (see following diagram).

60. In this masterful sermon, Yah'shua (Jesus) first enumerates the eight progressive steps by which men and women reach the higher altitudes of spiritual life. He then goes on to expound the fundamental truths of the Kingdom of Elohim (God). The diagram illustrates Yah'shua's (Jesus') matchless teachings under the figure of the Temple of Emet (Truth) and the steps leading up to it. The pillars represent the order in which He presented His great doctrinal principles.

61. Can a man witness the coming of the fullness of the Kingdom of Elohim (God) in his life while he lives? Yah'shua (Jesus) answers in the affirmative though His words do suggest that not many do:

"...I tell you the emet (truth), some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Kingdom of Elohim (God) come with power" [82].

63. But why has there been controversy? What have theologians disputed over? It has been wrongly assumed that Yah'shua (Jesus) was talking about the Millennium in this passage, the political Theocracy that is to come to the earth during the thousand years of shalom (peace) when Messiah returns the second time, His Second Advent. To understand Yah'shua's (Jesus') meaning it is important to see how Mark puts this saying in context for immediately after this prophecy comes the Transfiguration Story [83]. Here Yah'shua (Jesus) demonstrates to three select apostles -- Peter, James, and John, who are to become the leaders of the Messianic Community (Church) after He has ascended into heaven -- just what the Kingdom of Elohim (God) is. They see for themselves just what the power of the Kingdom looks like, they see what it is based on - emunah (faith) in Messiah (Yah'shua/Jesus), in prophecy (Elijah) and in obedience to Torah (Moses) - and they see what will come to fruition in their lives if they remain true and faithful.

64. In its most direct sense, Mark 9:1 is fulfilled in Mark 9:2-13; three of those who were standing before Him when Yah'shua (Jesus) spoke His words in Mark 9:1 did indeed live (not taste death) to "see the Kingdom of Elohim (God) come with power". And it is perfectly logical and consistent to argue that many others saw the Kingdom of Elohim (God) coming in power at the Day of the First Messianic Shavu'ot (Weeks, 'Pentecost') [84] (albeit in a different way) and in the subsequent miraculous events of the ministry of the first believers recorded in the Messianic Scriptures (New Testament). Why make the interpretation any more complicated than that?

65. Some have concluded that "taste death" is a reference to 'spiritual death':

"...I tell you the emet (truth), if anyone keeps My Davar (Word), he will never see death" [85].

"...I am the resurrection and the chayim (life). He who believes in Me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?" [86].

67. The proponents of the 'spiritual death' theory further argue that the "standing here" is not to be understood literally but is a non-spatial conflation meaning "in this regard". Others say that the saying is not meant to be taken too literally but was given by Yah'shua (Jesus) simply to underscrore the urgency of repenting and gettting one's life in order, or simply to encourage the weak in the emunah (faith). But this smells too much of deception, of 'the ends justifying the means' even if it means lying or exaggerating here or there. Such a notion may find its actuality in certain zealous Christians/Messianics who feel that a little use of short-term darkness justifies the long-term goal of light but it is certainly completely out of harmony with the morality of every other teaching of Yah'shua (Jesus). The proponents of 'divine deception' will not find comfort in the Messianic Scriptures (New Testament).

68. Yet another group of commentators believe that Mark 9:1 is a prophetic reference to the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus and cite Mark 13 (preterism). Others believe the coming of the Kingdom will be at the end of the world. And others, doubting Messiah's prophetic gift, attribute the statement to misplaced optimism. There are many other 'explanations' but few, if any, take into account the context.

69. The context suggests that Mark 9:1 is a reference to the Transfiguration and perhaps as a prophetic anticipation of the resurrection, since Moses and Elijah were present with Messiah. In seeing the shining forth of Yah'shua's (Jesus') glory, the three apostles were given a glimpse of what was to come. Again Mark hammers home the message that the vision of such things is only for the few -- for those who have the emunah (faith) to "move mountains". For most people, the Kingdom of Elohim (God) would remain an incomprehensible mystery -- an enigma -- and therefore would find it totally inaccesssible to them. The Transfiguration, whilst it might have been seen by hundreds of talmidim (disciples), was in actuality seen by only three, just as only a few -- the 144,000 -- make it as the Bride and thus to the fulfillment of the feast of Sukkot (Tabernacles). Many hundreds saw the resurrected Master, but only three were allowed to see the Transfiguration. Why?

70. When Yah'shua (Jesus) appeared as a resurrected Being before His talmidim (disciples) after His crucifixion, He did not appear as a Being of Glory but was as an ordinary man. This does not mean that He was not a Being of Glory, but merely that He concealed it, as Elohim (God) did when He wrestled with Jacob at Peniel [87]. To see the resurrected Master was marvelous indeed, but to see His Glory is quite something else. Those who saw, touched and conversed with the resurrected Yah'shua (Jesus) certainly were shown something of the resurrection, but they did not behold its glory. That privilege was reserved for Peter, James, and John alone on the mount, and for John once more when He saw Messiah on Patmos [88]. Many have since seen the glory of the Master as well as Heaven. To these a sacred mystery is entrusted.

71. The next reference to the Kingdom of Elohim (God) in the Gosepl of Mark is eschatological, referring to the 'end time':

"If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out. And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the Kingdom of Elohim (God) with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched'" [89].

The people of Judah have done evil in My eyes, declares Yahweh. They have set up their detestable idols in the house that bears My Name and have defiled it. They have built the high places of Topheth in the Valley of Ben Hinnom to burn their sons and daughters in the fire... [90].

74. These strong words are supposed to convey the sense that drastic action needs to be taken to avoid sin and qualify for entry into the Kingdom of Elohim (God). Token repentance is not enough but a complete change in life, comparable to the 'shock' of having a limb amputated or having an eye gauged out. The price for entrance into the Kingdom is therefore high for sinners, and the consequences of failing to pay that price as terrifying as being thrown into the burning rubbish tip at Gehenna where in the past the idolatrous Israelites sacrificed their children to the heathen Molech.

75. Mark 9:47 is intended to shock. The reader has been given a picture of all the wonderful benefits of the Kingdom -- now he must understand the cost of discipleship. As the mustard seed must die before it can grow into the glorious Kingdom Tree, so too much a man's sinful ways, and by drastic methods if necessary. To withdraw out of fear of what must be sacrificed of the old life of sin in order to enter the Kingdom is, Mark reminds us, to be ashamed of Messiah. And to be ashamed of Messiah is to risk being turned away from Heaven when his hour comes [91].

76. Having thus warned the people of the consequences of not changing direction in life when the Kingdom (Christ) comes close, Mark relates an incident where Yah'shua (Jesus) parabolically explains the way into the Kingdom:

People were bringing their little children to Yah'shua (Jesus) to have Him touch them, but the talmidim (disciples) rebuked them. When Yah'shua (Jesus) saw this, He was indignant. He said to them, 'Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the Kingdom of Elohim (God) belongs to such as these. I tell you the emet (truth), anyone who will not receive the Kingdom of Elohim (God) like a little child will never enter it.' And He took the children in His arms, put His hands on them and blessed them [92].

78. We see, as we look back at the various Marcan references to the Kingdom, that the Kingdom of Elohim (God) is both entered into and received. It is both a sphere (the Messianic Community/Church) as well as a relational gift (Messiah Himself, perhaps through the Ruach haQodesh (Holy Spirit)). The Kingdom is in Messiah to Whom the people it belongs are to come. In this sense they are a single entity by common identification and possession -- the Messianic Community (Church). Moreover, this Body of Believers is not 'given' by men but by Messiah Himself by entering into emunah (faith) with Him. Yah'shua (Jesus) is the hub of the wheel, the spokes the believers, and the Messianic Community (Church) the ring that links the spokes together on the outside. This picture is, admittedly, an over-simplification and requires expansion elsewhere, but forms a convenient model of Mark's teaching on the Kingdom. (See The Parable of the Wheel).

79. Having assured his readers that the qualifications for entry into the Kingdom are really quite simple, and having previously painted a vivid picture of hell, Mark then selects another Kingdom reference to warn us not to get too complacent:

"...How hard it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of Elohim (God)!" The talmidim (disciples) were amazed at his words. But Yah'shua (Jesus) said again, "Children, how hard it is (for those who trust in riches) to enter the Kingdom of Elohim (God)! It is easier for a rope (wrongly rendered 'camel') to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of Elohim (God)." The talmidim (disciples) were even more amazed, and said to each other, "Who, then, can be saved?" Yah'shua (Jesus) looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but not with Elohim (God); all things are possible with Elohim (God)" [93].

81. Note the contrast between "it is IMPOSSIBLE for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom" and "ALL things are POSSIBLE with Elohim (God)". It is impossible to trust in anything or anyone on this earth for salvation but in the Master nothing is impossible. It is again grace, the undeserved loving kindness of Yahweh, that saves and not the works of the flesh.

When Yah'shua (Jesus) saw that he had answered wisely, He said to him, "You are not far from the Kingdom of Elohim (God)" [96].

"The most important one..is this: 'Hear, O Israel, Yahweh our Elohim (God), Yahweh is echad (one). Love Yahweh your Elohim (God) with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength' [97]. The second is like this: 'Love your neighbour as yourself' [98]. There is no mitzvah (commandment) greater than these" [99].

84. What was it about this teacher of the Torah (Law) which qualified him to draw near to the Kingdom of Elohim (God)? And what does Yah'shua (Jesus) mean by "not far" from the Kingdom?

85. The term "not far" is called a 'special locative reference' and is used in several places in the scriptures [101]. One of the most helpful usages is in Ephesians 2:13 where it is used in a similar vein:

But now in Messiah Yah'shua (Jesus) you who were once far away have been brought near through the blood of Messiah [102].

"This is My blood of the B'rit Chadashah (New Covenant), which is poured out for many.....I tell you the emet (truth), I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it anew in the Kingdom of Elohim (God)" [103].

88. The answer may perhaps be partly found in a pseudepigraphic book called The Book of Enoch which, though corrupt, was held in high regard by the Judeans of Yah'shua's (Jesus') day [104] and has elements of authentic historical and theological emet (truth) scattered within it:

And the Master of Ruachot (Spirits) will abide over them, and with that Son of Man shall they eat, and lie down and rise up for ever and ever [105].

For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Master's death until He comes [106].

91. The last reference to the Kingdom of Elohim (God) is almost incidental:

So as evening approached, Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council, who was himself waiting for the Kingdom of Elohim (God), went boldly to Pilate and asked for Yah'shua's (Jesus') body [108].

92. This study of the Kingdom of Elohim (God) in Mark does not attempt to be exhaustive but to give an overview of what the Kingdom of Elohim (God) is from the Marcan perspective. For Mark, the Kingdom of Elohim (God) is a fulfilment of prophecy [109]. It calls for emunah (faith) and repentance -- an acceptance of Yah'shua (Jesus) as Messiah and a learning to accept justification through emunah (faith). It witnessess of the suffering of Messiah [110] and calls upon the talmidim (disciples) to take up their crosses and be willing to suffer also [111]. It is a testimony of the sovereignty of Elohim (God) [112] for the seed of the Kingdom grows by Elohim's (God's) sovereignty and not man's. Finally, the fullness of the Kingdom of Elohim (God) is a great secret that only the elect may know [113].

93. What is that secret?