We shift now for a while from the word “gospel/gospeling” to “heralding/herald” (Greek word is kerusso/kerygma/kerux). We back up to the Gospels again, and we begin with John (Matt 3:1-2) and Jesus (4::

1 In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Desert of Judea 2 and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”

17 From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”

Very clearly, the gospel both John and Jesus preached is a gospel/preaching that involved these things:

1. The demand for Israelites (and anyone who listened) to repent, or turn from their ways, back to the God of the covenant as he makes his will known through John and Jesus.

2. The demand to repent derived from the sudden inbreaking and presence of the kingdom of God, and this must be understood as the long-awaited promises to David (and the prophets) that God would restore Israel, fulfill his promises, and create in the Land of Israel the People of God.