Reading: Luke 17:20-37
And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, “The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.” And he said unto the disciples, “The days will come, when ye shall desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, and ye shall not see it. And they shall say to you, See here; or, see there: go not after them, nor follow them. For as the lightning, that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in his day. But first must he suffer many things, and be rejected of this generation. And as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed. In that day, he which shall be upon the housetop, and his stuff in the house, let him not come down to take it away: and he that is in the field, let him likewise not return back. Remember Lot’s wife. Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it. I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.” And they answered and said unto him, “Where, Lord?” And he said unto them, “Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together.” (NASB) www.lockman.org
What is the Kingdom of God? How can we, as humans, appreciate it and see it? When will it be established, or has it already been established on earth?
The concept of the Kingdom of God is seen through all Scripture, and it is key to understanding the whole message of the Bible and the Gospel.
Something very important to understand is that God, from the beginning of time, has planned and executed His will, without any hindrance, to bring glory to His Name and do good to His people.
The Kingdom of God has already been established, in the lives of those who acknowledge the Lord Jesus as King. As children of God, we are no longer subjects or slaves to sin, but have been redeemed by the Lamb, who bought us through His victory on the Cross.
The Kingdom of God is to be settled definitively when Jesus, who came as a lamb to sacrifice himself, roars like the lion of Judah, stalking all his enemies with his voice, and stripping them permanently of all power.
That ‘s why Jesus asks them, “What do you seek? The Kingdom is already among you.” The King heals the sick, commands nature, raises the dead and forgives sins. The King is with them, but they cannot see it.
He also tells them that there will be a day when those who love and serve Him will desire the King to return. In those days the world will live ignoring God, lost, blind, and deceived. Is it not our prayer that the Lord should come? Don’t we pray “Maranatha,” saying, “Come Lord?”
As children of God, as part of that Kingdom, we live with our hearts burdened and hurt by the sin in which the world delights, and by the sin that still besieges us. We live longing for the day of our redemption, the day on which every tear will be erased, and we will see the Lamb in the Throne and celebrate his victory.
MEDITATE: Are we living in this world as citizens of the Kingdom, watching and waiting? Is our hope found in the certainty that He has already overcome?
