And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.

MARK 1:15KJV
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Mark 1:15 (KJV)

What does Mark 1:15 mean?

Mark 1:15 records Jesus announcing that the long-awaited time has arrived, God’s kingdom is near, and people should turn from their old ways and trust the good news. This verse sums up the heart of Jesus’s message as he begins his public ministry.

Jesus is speaking to the crowds in Galilee at the very start of his ministry, right after John the Baptist is arrested. By saying “the time is fulfilled,” Jesus signals that a turning point in God’s plan has come. The call to “repent” and “believe the gospel” means people are invited to change their minds and lives, and to trust what Jesus is proclaiming about God’s kingdom.

The Greek behind Mark 1:15

  • “Time” (καιρός, kairos) means a decisive or appointed moment, not just any time on a clock. Jesus is saying a special, God-chosen moment has arrived.
  • “Repent” (μετανοεῖτε, metanoeite) carries the sense of changing one’s mind and direction, not just feeling sorry. It’s about a real shift in thinking and living.
  • “Believe” (πιστεύετε, pisteuete) here means to trust or put confidence in, not just to agree with facts. It’s a call to rely on the message Jesus brings.
  • “Gospel” (εὐαγγέλιον, euangelion) means “good news,” and in this setting, it refers to the announcement of God’s reign coming near through Jesus.

Why Mark 1:15 matters

  • Mark 1:15 clears up that Jesus’s main message was about God’s kingdom arriving, not just about personal salvation or moral advice.
  • The verse highlights that Jesus’s call is both urgent and hopeful: people are not just warned, but invited to respond to something new God is doing.
  • This verse sets the tone for the whole Gospel of Mark, showing that everything Jesus does and says is about God’s kingdom breaking into the world.

Where else these words appear

“ye” Greek G3340 · used in 32 verses

  • Matthew 3:2 And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
  • Luke 15:7 I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.
  • 2 Corinthians 12:21 And lest, when I come again, my God will humble me among you, and that I shall bewail many which have sinned already, and have not repented of the uncleanness and fornication and lasciviousness which they have committed.

“hand” Greek G1448 · used in 42 verses

  • Matthew 3:2 And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
  • Luke 12:33 Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth.
  • Luke 24:28 And they drew nigh unto the village, whither they went: and he made as though he would have gone further.

“gospel” Greek G2098 · used in 74 verses

  • Matthew 4:23 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.
  • 1 Corinthians 9:12 If others be partakers of this power over you, are not we rather? Nevertheless we have not used this power; but suffer all things, lest we should hinder the gospel of Christ.
  • Philippians 1:5 For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now;

“time” Greek G2540 · used in 82 verses

  • Matthew 8:29 And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time?
  • John 7:6 Then Jesus said unto them, My time is not yet come: but your time is alway ready.
  • Ephesians 5:16 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.