Mat 4:17 Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Mat 4:17 Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Alternative: Change your mind: for the rule of the universe has drawn near.
Christ takes up the words of John the Baptist of change as the first message of his teaching. While the exact nature of the "reign of the sky" is something we continue to learn (more here on the Greek), he was announcing a change in the nature of reality. Looking back at how Christianity did change the nature of our world over the last 2,000 years, including the perceptions of other religions, this statement was clearly true. However, there is a riddle in what Christ means by the "kingdom of heaven" that we have to study all of Christ's words throughout the Gospels to discover.
In the original Greek, there is much more to this announcement than meets the eye. The Greek word metanoeô is translated as "repent," but its specific meaning is to "perceive afterward," as in to see the truth after a mistake is made. This emphasis on perception is important because of the meaning of the "kingdom of heaven." The meaning of ouranos (the sky or heavens) can include the abode of God, but it certainly isn't limited to it. The term translated as "near" in the version above or "at hand" in King James is engizô, which is a verb and means "to bring near" or "to join one thing to another." It is in the perfect tense, which means that its action has been completed.
So the actual meaning is that we must change our perceptions. The laws of the unverse are not what we think. We are coming to those laws or they are coming to us. The laws of men are being joined to the laws of the universe.
There is a lot to think about here. The phrase brings us back to the Lord's Prayer, "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." Again, we get the idea that the our earthly, parochial view is being joined with a more universal view.
However, what is this "rule of heaven" that Christ talks about? In the Gospels, it is described as many things--a growing tree, yeast in bread, a net that catches all fish, and a harvest that includes both weeds and wheat. At least part of what is meant is the last judgment, separating saints from sinners, but that is only a part of what is meant. But that judgment, whether at the end of the world or the end of our lives is only one aspect of the kingdom or rule that Christ speaks about.
As far as this kingdom drawing near or being joined with the world of men, Christ always refers to this, not as something that happens at a specific time, but something that is always being culminated right now. (The Greek tense use is the "perfect," which doesn't exist in English. It means an action that is being completed now.) Since the general assumption of this blog is that Christ's words apply to us now as much as they applied to his contemporaries, this would mean that the process is still being completed today as it was 2,000 years ago.
"Repent," is from metanoeô (metanoia), which literally means "to perceive afterward," "to perceive too late," "to change one's mind," "to change one's purpose," and "to repent."
"For" comes from gar (gar) which is the introduction of a clause explaining a reason or explanation: "for," "since," and "as." In an abrupt question it means "why" and "what."
"Kingdom" is from basileia (basileia), which means "kingdom," "dominion," "hereditary monarchy," "kingly office," (passive) "being ruled by a king," and "reign."
"Heaven" is from the Greek ouranos (ouranos), which means "heaven as in the vault of the sky," "heaven as the seat of the gods," "the sky," "the universe," and "the climate."
"Is at hand" is from the Greek engizô (eggizo) which means "to bring near," "to approach," and "to be on the point of" (doing someing).
