"Previews of Coming Attractions" by Bishop Kenneth Sullivan Sr. (12/28/2025)

Previews of Coming Attractions: The Kingdom of Heaven Is Near

When you arrive early at the movie theater, there's something exciting about watching the trailers—those carefully crafted previews of coming attractions. They give you just enough to spark anticipation, to make you lean forward in your seat and think, "I can't wait to see that!" The gospel of Jesus Christ works in much the same way. It's not just good news about what God has done; it's a thrilling preview of what's coming.

The Original Paradise

In the beginning, God created a perfect world—a masterpiece reflecting His character, beauty, love, and goodness. This wasn't just a nice place; it was paradise in every sense. The climate was perfect, the ecosystem flawless. Adam and Eve walked in complete comfort and peace. Lions rested with lambs. There were no predators, no prey. Everyone—humans and animals alike—were vegetarians. There was no violence, no death, no sickness, no thorns, and certainly no fear.

Then came the fall. Sin entered through human choice, and Satan became the "god of this world" (2 Corinthians 4:4). For six thousand years, we've been living under the consequences of that rebellion. The world we see today—with its violence, disease, injustice, and death—is the result of satanic rule, not God's original design. Animals turned on each other. Humans turned on each other. Death spread like a plague across the planet.

But here's the remarkable truth: before God even created the world, He had a plan to restore it. He knew the cost of giving humans free will, yet He said, "Let us make man in our image." And He knew that restoration would require the ultimate sacrifice—His own Son.

The Promise of Restoration

From the very beginning, God has been promising that a Messiah would come to restore all things. The prophets spoke of it repeatedly. Isaiah promised a kingdom where "nation will no longer fight against nation nor train for war anymore" (Isaiah 2:4). He described a time when "the eyes of the blind" would be opened and "the ears of the deaf" unplugged, when "the lame will leap like a deer" (Isaiah 35:5-6).

Perhaps most beautifully, Isaiah painted a picture of complete restoration: "The lion will eat hay like a cow. The baby will play safely near the hole of a cobra. Nothing will hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain, for as the waters fill the sea, so the earth will be filled with people who know the Lord" (Isaiah 11:5-9).

For generations, God's people waited and watched for this promise to be fulfilled. They read the prophets every Sabbath in the synagogues. They knew what was coming. So when they heard the message, "The kingdom of heaven is near," it was extraordinarily good news.

Tell Them, Show Them, Make It Free

When Jesus sent out His twelve apostles, He gave them a three-part commission that reveals the heart of the gospel message.

First, tell them. Jesus didn't say, "Go tell them they're going to hell." That's not good news. He didn't say, "Judge and condemn them about their sins." He said, "Go and announce to them that the kingdom of heaven is near" (Matthew 10:7). While we must warn people about coming judgment, our primary message must be the good news of what Christ has done, what He's doing now, and the glorious future awaiting those who believe.

Second, show them. Words alone aren't enough. Jesus instructed His disciples to "heal the sick, raise the dead, cure those with leprosy, and cast out demons" (Matthew 10:8). These weren't just random miracles—they were previews of the coming kingdom.

Healing the sick proved that God's rule and power had arrived. It demonstrated God's authority to forgive sins and reverse the curse. It showed His compassion for human suffering.

Raising the dead gave people a preview of the resurrection and eternal life. It represented Jesus' victory over Satan and death itself. As Hebrews 2:14-15 explains, Jesus became human so that "by dying he could break the power of the devil who had the power of death" and "set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying."

Curing leprosy was particularly significant. Lepers were complete outcasts—spiritually and socially isolated, forced to shout "unclean!" whenever anyone approached. Jesus' willingness to touch the untouchable demonstrated that God's kingdom is for everyone, including the marginalized and rejected.

Casting out demons proved that Jesus has power over Satan and has given that power to His followers. It represents freedom from sin and addiction available to believers right now. Matthew 11:12 tells us that "the violent take the kingdom by force"—meaning believers use their faith in Christ to break free from satanic rule and press into the kingdom of God.

Third, make it free. "Give as freely as you have received," Jesus instructed (Matthew 10:8). Salvation is a gift from God, fully paid for by the blood of Jesus Christ. It cannot be earned, bought, or achieved through human effort.

The Power of Transformation

When anyone hears and believes the gospel, power is released into that life. The process of freedom and transformation begins immediately. Consider the image of an acorn. Looking at it, you'd never imagine it contains everything needed to grow a giant oak tree. But plant it in good soil, and God brings out its full potential.

The same is true for people. God specializes in taking little things and making them big. He took Matthew, a despised tax collector and social outcast, and transformed him into a gospel writer whose book has been a bestseller for two thousand years. He took Peter, a lying, cursing, cowardly man who denied even knowing Jesus, and restored him to become a bold preacher of the gospel. He took Saul of Tarsus, who hated Christians and participated in their persecution, and made him the apostle Paul who planted churches across the ancient world and wrote half the New Testament.

As Ezekiel 36:26-27 promises: "I will give you a new heart and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. I will put my spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations."

This is the power of the gospel—it doesn't just inform us; it transforms us. It gives us both the desire to obey God and the power to do so. It convicts us when we sin. It frees us from slavery to sin and addiction. It changes us into new people.

Living as Previews

Those of us being transformed are called to be living previews of the coming kingdom. We're called to tell others the good news, show them through our transformed lives and compassionate actions, and offer it freely without cost.

The kingdom of heaven is near. Not just in some distant future, but breaking into our present reality right now. Every healing, every deliverance, every transformed life is a trailer—a preview of the full restoration that's coming when heaven comes to earth and God dwells with humanity forever.

The question is: Are you ready for the main feature?