I’ve always been taught that the kingdom of God was a spiritual reign of God in the hearts of all believers from the beginning to the end. However, I've come to see through my studying that this is not totally accurate. What are your thoughts on this matter?
As far as the kingdom of God being the "spiritual reign of God in the hearts of all believers"...well that is just some nonsensical "wisdom of words" that men who do not rightly divide God's word, and who do not understand or believe our Apostle Paul's apostleship, ministry or message! The spiritual principle that our Apostle wrote about in 2 Timothy 2 is so true, especially when it comes to this issue.
2 Timothy 2:7
Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things.
So the very first thing that we need to do when trying to understand any passage of the scriptures today, is to understand it from a Pauline dispensational perspective, and when we do, we will see that it has nothing to do with a "spiritual reign" of God in the hearts of men. Let's look at the actual verse in question.
Luke 17:21
Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.
Notice that it is from this one verse that those who do not rightly divide God's word of truth come up with their erroneous interpretation of what the kingdom of God means. But just a simple, cursory looking at the immediate context will show that that is not at all what our Lord is saying! (Nor would it apply to the people that he is saying it to, even if it was what he was saying). Notice in the context, to whom he was speaking...
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.
As you can see, the people that our Lord was speaking to were not "believers," but the exact opposite—the unbelieving religious leaders of Israel! In verse 20, the apostate Pharisees demanded of him, in other words, they were not sincerely seeking knowledge and true understanding of when and where the earthly kingdom of God would come. On the contrary, they were being hostile towards him, even though he time and time again proved his being their Messiah, and they were in fact trying to mock and embarrass him with their questioning!
At this point in history, the Roman Empire was the ruling force over Israel, and the Jews were looking for their Messiah to come in power and great glory...for him to be the great deliverer and get those gentiles off of their backs and give them the kingdom. But what our Lord is saying is that in his first coming the offering of the kingdom to Israel has to do with him showing up on Daniel's time schedule as prophesied and then first dying for their sins in order to make them worthy to be God's kingdom of priests and a holy nation!
Daniel 9:25
Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.
Mark 1:15
And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.
Galatians 4:4
But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,
Our Lord, when he says that the kingdom of God is "within you," he means within the "nation of Israel!” God the Father actually sent his Son, the King within the nation’s midst—right then and there. It was in his first coming that God was offering them the kingdom. It was in his first coming that the nation of Israel was to receive it!
Matthew 11:12-15
And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force. For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
And even though he was going to first die for their sins, he still was offering the kingdom because part of the prophesied earthly kingdom was that Messiah would first die!
1 Peter 1:7-12
That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls. Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory [the earthly Kingdom] that should follow. Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel [of the Kingdom of God] unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down [at Pentecost] from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.
The issue of the kingdom of God coming "not with observation" has nothing to do with it simply being just a spiritual kingdom in the hearts of men...that it will be. But it will be so much more! It will be a literal, visible, physical, earthly, Davidic kingdom...and he is simply saying that it would not, in his first coming, be a huge, dramatic show of power and great glory—yet. That coming of Messiah and his kingdom—in power—would be in his second coming to the earth to Israel!
Matthew 24:30
And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
Revelation 1:7
Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they [Israel] also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.
And notice that he actually says that later on in the context of the passage we are studying!
Luke 17:24-25
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.
By the way, while we are on this particular topic, all this also explains what our Lord is saying in John 18 as he speaks to Pontius Pilate...
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 [not in the earth, yet].
Most people think that our Lord is telling the Roman governor that he will not be setting up and real, literal, visible, earthly, Davidic kingdom. But notice the words "but now" in the verse...he is not saying that He won't, sometime in the future be setting up his kingdom. He is saying that "but now" (at the time he was speaking to Pilate) His kingdom was not there. He will however, in his Second coming, be setting up his kingdom.
So in conclusion, again, the issue of the kingdom of God coming "not with observation," has to do with his first coming. He is simply saying that it would not, in his first coming, be a huge, dramatic show of power and great glory (yet). That coming of Messiah would be in his second coming to the earth!
Hopefully this
helps!
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