The Coming of the Kingdom of God: The End of the Exile

The biblical story begins with humanity in the presence of God. Adam and Eve were not created at a distance from their Maker. They lived under His gracious rule, received His Word, and enjoyed fellowship with Him in the garden. Eden was more than a place of natural beauty. It was a sanctuary in which God dwelt with the creatures made in His image.

That fellowship was broken by sin.

When Adam and Eve rejected the command of God, they did more than violate a rule. They revolted against the reign of God and forfeited the blessing of His presence. Genesis records that the Lord drove the man from the garden and placed cherubim east of Eden, together with a flaming sword, "to keep the way of the tree of life" (Genesis 3:24). Humanity was expelled from the sanctuary. The way back was guarded.

From that moment, the great problem running through Scripture is not merely that human beings are unhappy, morally confused, or subject to death. The deeper problem is exile from God. Sin has created a breach between the holy Creator and His rebellious creatures. Humanity lives east of Eden, separated from the presence in which life, peace, and safety are found.

Exile and the Kingdom

The kingdom of God is the answer to that exile.

When Scripture speaks of God's kingdom, it speaks of His reign, His authority, and the sphere in which His will is gladly obeyed. The coming of the kingdom therefore involves more than the improvement of society or the reformation of individual behavior. It is God reclaiming what sin has disordered and bringing estranged people back under His gracious rule. It is the restoration of fellowship between God and humanity through the King whom God has appointed.

The Veil With Cherubim

The Old Testament represented both the nearness of God and the continuing barrier created by sin. God chose Israel, delivered them from Egypt, and commanded Moses to construct a tabernacle so that He might dwell among them: "And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them" (Exodus 25:8). God was graciously present in the midst of His people, yet access to that presence remained restricted.

At the heart of the tabernacle stood the most holy place. The ark of the covenant rested there, and above it the glory of God was manifested. But a veil separated the holy place from the most holy place. God commanded that this veil be made with cherubim woven into it (Exodus 26:31).

The imagery deliberately recalls Eden. Cherubim had guarded the way into the garden after the Fall, and cherubim now appeared upon the curtain guarding the way into the immediate presence of God. The message was unmistakable. God had drawn near, but the breach had not yet been removed. The way into the holiest remained closed.

Only the high priest could pass beyond that veil, and only once each year, carrying sacrificial blood for his own sins and for the sins of the people (Leviticus 16; Hebrews 9:7). Every part of the ritual testified that sinful humanity could not casually enter the presence of a holy God. A sacrifice was necessary. Blood had to be shed. An appointed mediator had to go before the people.

The tabernacle therefore proclaimed both promise and limitation. God desired to dwell among His people, but the repeated sacrifices and the guarded sanctuary showed that the final reconciliation had not yet occurred. The veil remained. The cherubim still stood watch.

The King Who Came Near

Then Jesus came preaching, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel" (Mark 1:15). The kingdom had drawn near because the King had come.

In Jesus Christ, God entered the territory of humanity's exile. The eternal Word was made flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14). He healed the sick, forgave sins, delivered the oppressed, and announced good news to the poor. These works were not isolated acts of compassion. They were signs that the reign of God had broken into the fallen world.

Yet the kingdom could not be fully opened to sinners merely by instruction or example. The breach created by sin had to be dealt with. Divine justice could not simply overlook humanity's rebellion. The guilt had to be borne, the debt paid, and the barrier removed.

This is what Christ accomplished at the cross.

The Veil Torn From Above

When Jesus died, the Gospels record that "the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom" (Matthew 27:51). The direction of the tearing matters. It was torn from above. God Himself opened the way.

The curtain bearing the cherubim was divided. The ancient symbol of exclusion was torn apart at the very moment the Son of God offered Himself for sin. What had stood since humanity was driven from Eden was now removed through the sacrifice of Christ.

The torn veil did not declare that sin had ceased to matter. It declared that sin had been judged in the body of the Substitute. Christ "once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God" (1 Peter 3:18). That final phrase expresses the purpose of the gospel with remarkable clarity: that He might bring us to God.

The gospel is God's summons to return from exile.

The author of Hebrews draws the conclusion directly. Because believers have "boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus," they may draw near to God "with a true heart in full assurance of faith" (Hebrews 10:19, 22). The way that was once guarded has been opened through the blood of Christ. Access to God is no longer confined to one high priest entering once a year. Everyone who comes through Christ is welcomed into the presence of God.

This does not mean that all people are automatically reconciled regardless of their response. The apostolic message remains an appeal: "We pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God" (2 Corinthians 5:20). The way has been opened, but sinners are commanded to enter through repentance and faith. Christ alone is the door. No human merit, religious ceremony, moral improvement, or ecclesiastical institution can provide another entrance.

Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me" (John 14:6). Christianity is not merely one path among many leading toward a distant divine reality. It is the announcement that God has acted in history to open the one way back into His presence.

The Church Calling Humanity Home

This is also why the mission of the church is inseparable from the kingdom of God. Every faithful preacher, missionary, teacher, and witness participates in the same great summons. The church is calling humanity home. It carries the ministry of reconciliation into a world still living east of Eden, urging men and women to turn from the false kingdoms they have constructed and come under the gracious reign of Christ.

The message continues until the final pages of Scripture. Revelation does not conclude with humanity escaping the earth to live forever at a distance. It concludes with God dwelling with His redeemed creation: "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them" (Revelation 21:3). The curse is removed, the servants of God see His face, and the exile is ended forever (Revelation 22:3-4).

The kingdom begins with the King coming to us, advances as the gospel brings sinners back to God, and reaches its fullness when God dwells openly with His redeemed people. The cherubim no longer guard the way. The veil has been torn. The sacrifice has been offered. Through Jesus Christ, those who were far away are brought near.

The coming of the kingdom is therefore the story of God bringing humanity home to His presence. Outside that presence there is no lasting safety, life, or peace. In Christ, the breach has been healed, the way has been opened, and the ancient exile has begun to end. The gospel still sounds across the world with the invitation of the King: return to God, enter through Christ, and live forever in His presence.