"In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!' "
*Why* was the "Kingdom of heaven" "at hand" when John the Baptist preached these words (above)? Because *Jesus* was "at hand." Very soon, He (Christ) would be baptized into His own church, wherein He would be the Head (of the Body), and King of kings.
Wherever there is Jesus, there is not only heaven itself, but the King-
dom of God itself. After Christ's death and resurrection, He ascended into heaven, where He is now (not later) crowned King of His church, and the Sovereign Ruler over all God's creation. This is one of the reasons we get excited about church: by being the church, and by worshipping as the church, we draw close to our King.
[Puritan quote of the day: "If the church is beautiful beyond all other of the children of men, how beautiful is Jesus Christ, from whom the church derives all its comeliness?" --Thomas Vincent, in, "The True Christian's Love to the Unseen Christ"]
