The Kingdom Has Come Near

John the Baptist turns our understanding of divine judgment completely upside down. We journey through John's radical reinterpretation of messianic expectation, where he announces something unprecedented: 'Repent for the kingdom of heaven has come near.' He doesn't say 'will come near' but 'has come near.' God has already come: in Christ. This reverses the ancient formula found in prophets like Malachi, where God said 'Return to me and I will return to you.' Jesus' arrival is God returning to us first, before we've said sorry, before we've returned to Him. God's embrace always comes first. This transforms repentance from an anxious attempt to prove ourselves worthy into a joyful response to love that's already been freely given.