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Luke 17:20-21 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.
The key word here is observation. It is the Greek word parateresis meaning sight, occular evidence or inspection.
Jesus said the kingdom of God is not going to come in a visible form. You're not going to be able to point to it and say,"Here or there it is". This isn't strange because the kingdom of God is an invisible kingdom. Its God is an invisible God and it's citizens are invisible beings. Angels, cherubim's and seraphim's cannot be seen. They're spirits. Even those sons of Adam who have become the sons of God are indiscernible by physical appearance.
1John 3:1-3 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.
The world doesn't know us because the world only knows what it can detect by the senses. The true sons of God are those that have the heart and the spirit of Father God. They cannot be known by the outside appearance.
1Samuel 16:7 But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on David's countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.
There are multitudes of people who give the appearance that they are citizens of the kingdom but in due season God will reveal their true identity. Jesus exposed them in His day and He will expose them in ours.
Mat 23:23-28 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.
Hypocrite is the Greek word hupokritis meaning decitful one, a person who gives the appearance that he is something he is not.
The kingdom of God, being an invisible kingdom that cannot be discerned by the senses, is not a new concept in the Word of God. The God of the children of Israel was an invisible God who ruled and reigned in an invisible kingdom. He was a God who hid Himself from His people and they were forbidden to make any image of Him or His kingdom on the earth
Deut 5:6-9 I am the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. Thou shalt have none other gods before me. Thou shalt not make thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the waters beneath the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me
A graven image is something carved or molded into a visible, tangible expression of an invisible entity. That's what an idol is. They were forbidden to bow down to it or serve it. If you really think about it, the sin in idolatry is reducing God to something manageable and predictable in your life. It is bringing God down to the realm of the senses. If God and His kingdom can be seen, heard, smelled, tasted or touched, people declare it to be real but if not, it's not real. This mind set is totally opposed to the mindset of God and His kingdom because the reality of the things of God are based in faith not sight and faith is defined in
Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Hebrews 11:6 says But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
Faith believes in an invisible God and an invisible kingdom. Faith believes that He is even when it can't see or observe Him with the physical eye. Faith acknowledges the presence of God and His rule and reign in our lives even when all outside appearances and evidences seem to contradict that fact. The apostle Paul said in
2Cor 5:7 (For we walk by faith, not by sight:)
The problem with the children of Israel is they wanted to be like the nations of people around them. They didn't want God to be their king because He was invisible. They didn't want to live in His kingdom because no one could see it. They wanted a king and a kingdom they could see so God gave them Saul. In essence they rejected God and His kingdom
1Sam 8:4-8 Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah, And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations. But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the LORD. And the LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them. According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even unto this day, wherewith they have forsaken me, and served other gods, so do they also unto thee.
The nature of man has not changed. God's people still cannot receive a king or a kingdom they cannot see/observe. When Jesus came with His proclamation that the kingdom of God was at hand the children of Israel couldn't receive it because they could see it. They said show it to us, take us to it, when is going to come, can I rule and reign in it when it comes? Jesus said His kingdom was not of this world
John 18:36 Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.
The kings and the kingdoms of the world can be seen but Jesus kingdom is not like the kingdoms of this world. Jesus kingdom is not defined by geograhical dimensions, it doesn't have lands. It doesn't have a palace. It doesn't have a seat of visible government. On the contrary it is established in the hearts of men, women, boys and girls by the Spirit of God. Things haven't changed. Christianity is still full of people who are waiting for the any moment return of a visible Jesus who will set up a visible kingdom that will have dominion over the kingdoms of this world. I believe this will eventually happen but in the mean time we are missing the power of the resurrected Christ and His kingdom that have come to us in Spirit. We need to understand that a visible Jesus will not return until the Gospel of the Kingdom is preached to the whole world. He said so in
Matthew 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come
Presently there are hundreds of millions of people who have never heard the name of Jesus let alone the message of the Gospel of the Kingdom. Truthfully very few in the church have really heard the Gospel of the Kingdom. The kingdom of God is within you. Christ is within you.
Col 1:26-27 Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:
The church has made going to heaven, the rapture of the saints and a host of other things the hope of the church but Christ in us is our hope of glory and we need a revelation of it. I don't have to hope I'm going to heaven, I'm already living in kingdom reality. Heaven is a done deal. I'm a kingdom citizen already, a member of the common wealth of Israel. How can I say that? Because that's what the Bible declares and I believe it and receive it.
Eph 1:18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints
The mystery of Christ and His kingdom is not going to be revealed to us by observation. It's not going to be revealed by the eyes of our bodies, its going to be revealed by the eyes of our understanding. It's going to be revealed by revelation in our hearts and in our minds.
God wants to begin exercising His Kingdom Lordship in our lives today. The kingdom of heaven is a kingdom discerned by revelation. It is a spiritual kingdom not contained, limited or measured by physical dimensions. It cannot be seen with the physical eye or heard with the physical ear. It has no beginning and no end. It cannot be touched or perceived with the senses. It could be right among you and unless you have spiritual perception you would be completely unaware of its presence because it's invisible to the human eye. You might think that is preposterous but it's the truth none the less. Jesus Christ was the embodiment of the kingdom of heaven and even those closest to him were unaware of the presence of the kingdom of God in Christ.
John 14:8-11 Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us. Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father? Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake.
They were looking for the kingdom of God with their natural eyes but they couldn't see it because it was an invisible kingdom. When they were looking at Jesus they were looking at the Father but they couldn't see Him because He was spiritually discerned. Jesus was the express image of the Father.
Heb 1:1-3 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;
You ask the average Christian what he knows about the kingdom of God and he will try describing it to you using physical terms. His description may go something like this. It has gates of pearl, streets of gold, walls of jasper and mansions of glory but this wasn't Jesus understanding of it. He simply said its presence couldn't be known by observation. In other words,"You're not going to see it coming" He said when it comes you won't have people coming to you and saying," Hey it's here or Hey it's there". It's not a piece of real estate. Its not defined by physical dimensions. No, it's coming by revelation and how badly the church in general needs a revelation that the kingdom of God has come and that it is within them.
Mark 6:1-6 And he went out from thence, and came into his own country; and his disciples follow him. And when the sabbath day was come, he began to teach in the synagogue: and many hearing him were astonished, saying, From whence hath this man these things? and what wisdom is this which is given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands? Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house. And he could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them. And he marvelled because of their unbelief. And he went round about the villages, teaching.
Jesus Christ went back into his own country, the place where He was raised. He returned to His home church among his own people, friends and family and the people were unaware of the presence of the kingdom of heaven. Think of it, the healing, delivering and saving power of the kingdom was standing in their midst and they couldn't discern it. Father God was standing right there in their midst robed in the flesh of Jesus Christ and they were unaware of Him.
John 1:10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.
They were unaware of His presence because they weren't spiritual people. They were religious people and religious people can't discern the kingdom of heaven. Religious people are looking for something they can see. That's why robes, symbols and pagentry are so important in religion. That's why positions and titles are held in such high regard. That's why the church is a building instead of the people of God. Religious people are not led by the Spirit of God, they're led by rules, regulations, traditions and the commandments of men. They're led by the opinions and the approval of men. Look at the things that blinded their eyes to the reality of the kingdom's presence among them.
- They were overwhelmed by the words of wisdom that came out of his mouth and the miracles that were performed by His hands.
And when the sabbath day was come, he began to teach in the synagogue: and many hearing him were astonished, saying, From whence hath this man these things? and what wisdom is this which is given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands?
They were overwhelmed by the things he said because they couldn't see where it was coming from. They were suspicious of Him because they knew this wisdom and power never came from them and they weren't familiar with its source and that's the way people are. If you don't see things the way they see them they are suspicious of you. If you're one of us you're o.k. but if you're not, you become suspect. If you're saying what we're saying and promoting our agenda you're a great guy but if you're not you're on the outside looking in. They became more interested in where Jesus acquired this wisdom and power than in becoming a beneficiary of it. As a matter of fact they did everything they could to discredit him.
Matthew 12:22-28 Then was brought unto him one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb: and he healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw. And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this the son of David? But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils. 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.
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