The Kingdom of God: What Is It? (Luke 17: 20) October 2003
"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." Luke 17:20-21
In our text the Lord said to the Pharisees, in response to a question
of when the Kingdom of God would come, “The kingdom of God does
not come with observation...” In other words the Kingdom Of God is
not of flesh and blood, but of the Spirit of God. He then turned to His
disciples and stated; "The Kingdom of God is within you.' I am sure
they were just as mystified as were the Pharisees, at the time. Since
little is said about His Kingdom today, in His incarnation, Jesus
spake often of the Kingdom of God or Kingdom of Heaven interchan-
geably. Much of the teaching was oblique, understood by his disci-
ples later as they were enlightened by the Spirit of God. Understan-
ding the Kingdom to be God’s rule and reign in the hearts of His
Children as Sovereign of Heaven and earth, let’s consider a few of
these passages in the Old Testament and in the Gospel according to
Matthew:
1. Exodus 19: 6 (Israel to be a Kingdom of Priests...)
2. I Chronicles 28: 1-8 (Israel under David/Solomon Kingdom of the
Lord)
3. Obadiah 21 Finally, " ...the Kingdom shall be the Lord’s”
4. Matthew 4: 17 “...Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.”
5. Matthew 4: 23 Jesus Christ preaching the gospel of the Kingdom)
6. Matthew 5: 3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the King-
dom of Heaven.”
7. Matthew 5:10: “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righ-
teousness sake, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.”
8. Matthew 5 19-20 “...least in the Kingdom of Heaven...greatest in
the Kingdom of Heaven...”
9. Matthew 6: 10-13 The Model Prayer, “...Thy Kingdom come... for
Yours is the power...”
10. Matthew 5:31-34 “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and his righ-
teousness and all these things will be added unto you.”
11. Matthew 7:24 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall
enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but he who does the
will of My Father in heaven.”
12. Matthew 8:11-12 “And I say to you that many will come from east
and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac and
Jacob in the Kingdom of Heaven...”
13. Matthew 10: 7 “And as you go preach, saying, “the Kingdom of
Heaven is at hand.”
14. Matthew 11:11-12“Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of
woman there has not risen one greater that John
the Baptist, but he who is least in the Kingdom
of Heaven is greater than he.”
15. Matthew 12:25-28“...surely the Kingdom of God has come upon
you.”
16. Matthew 12:24-52 28.“But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of
God, surely the Kingdom of God has come
upon you..."
17. Matthew 16:19 “And I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of
Heaven..”
18. Matthew 16:28 “Assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing
here who shall not taste death till they see the
Son of Man coming in His kingdom.”
19. Matthew 18: 3 At that time the disciples came to Jesus saying,
“Who is greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?”
Then Jesus called little child to Him and said,
"Assuredly I say unto you, unless you are con-
verted and become as little children, you will
by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.
Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little
child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven..."
20. Matthew 18: 23 (Parable of the unforgiving servant)
21. Matthew 19: 11-12 (Eunuchs for the Kingdom of Heaven...)
22. Matthew 19: 13-15 (“Let the little children come unto me for of
such is the Kingdom of Heaven...”)
23. Matthew 19: 23-24 (The rich and the Kingdom of Heaven)
24. Matthew 20: 1-16 (Day laborers in the vineyard)
25. Matthew 20: 20-28 (Seating in the Kingdom of Heaven)
26. Matthew 21: 28-32 (Parable of the two sons)
27. Matthew 21: 33-44 (Parable of the wicked vinedressers)
28. Matthew 22: 2-14 (Parable of the wedding feast)
29. Matthew 23: 1-15 (Woe on Scribes and Pharisees)
30. Matthew 24: 4-14 (End of time)
31. Matthew 25: 1-13 (Parable of the wise and foolish virgins)
32. Matthew 25: 31-46 (Dividing the sheep from the goats)
33. Matthew 26: 26-30 (Last Supper) In the Kingdom...
Since so much of the message of Jesus Christ was in direct refe-
rence to the Kingdom of God/Heaven, why do we hear so little of
His Kingdom today? If what we have seen in Scripture, relates to
the Kingdom of God, we must begin to place more emphasis on His
Kingdom as we study and teach His Word. The other prong of this
subject is His soon catching away of His church and removal of the
purifying influence of His Holy Spirit from the earth.
See 1 Thessalonians 4: 13-18 and Luke 17: 26-37...
Matthew 12: 25-28, "And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto
them, 'Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation,
and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand. And if
Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then
his kingdom stand? And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom
do your children cast them out? Therefore, they shall be your judges.
But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the Kingdom of God
is come unto you."
(The term "devils" is translated "demons" in some texts.
donporter,sr edited; 10.25.14
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