Luke 21:29-31 He told them this parable: “Look at the fig tree and all the trees. When they sprout leaves, you can see for yourselves and know that summer is near. Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that the kingdom of God is near.
Matthew 12:25-28 Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand. If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand? And if I drive out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your people drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
Matthew 21:31 Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you.
Mark 1:15 “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!”
Mark 10:14-15 When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”
Luke 17:20 Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is within you.”
1 Corinthians 15:50 I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.
Many Christians have made the kingdom of God a place of flesh and blood, a place similar to our present world but better, cleaner, holier. Many are looking for this kind of kingdom when Christ returns. But the Bible clearly states flesh will never inherit the kingdom because the kingdom is amorphous, not limited to one time or space, for it can exist within people. The Bible also states you must be like an innocent and unsophiticated child to partake in this never ending kingdom. Jesus indicates many mature, knowledgeable, religiously correct adults will miss entering into this kingdom. He told the chief priests and the elders of his day, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. If it is so difficult to enter, how do we enter this kingdom, and when does it begin? Jesus said, when you see these things happening, you know that the kingdom of God is near.
If flesh and blood cannot enter the kingdom of God and if it does not come with your careful observation, then the kingdom must be of the Spirit. If a childlike spirit or faith is necessary to enter, then knowledge and experience are not qualifiers for admission. If the despised tax collectors and prostitutes ARE ENTERING the kingdom of God ahead of the religious leaders, then qualifications must not be about lifestyle or personal worth. What then? Repent and believe the good news! To all who believe that Jesus Christ is God, and that He has come in the flesh to save men, to them He has given the kingdom of God. Jesus made the kingdom near, for HE BROUGHT THE KINGDOM OF GOD TO MEN through his death and resurrection. He did not make a way for us to enter; He is the way, the truth, and the life for all mankind. When we unite in him with childlike faith, we become the body of Christ, his kingdom on Earth. When we pass from this life to the next, we leave this world behind, but the kingdom goes with us, for He is in us through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus warns us that in the last days, false prophets would say, the Lord is here or He is there. He wants us to discern spiritual realities, to know where He is and to abide in him, allowing him to abide in us. He wanted his sheep to hear his voice and to obey the Spirit's leading. Since the kingdom of God has come to all who believe, we should stand firm in confident faith, knowing the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. (Romans 14:17) We should be full of this joy and peace, sharing our faith with those who do not know the Lord. Jesus said people would know we are his disciples by our love for others. Today, we have the privilege and the responsibility to love those around us, the ones who are easy to love and the unlovely, the outcasts of society. Jesus set the example for us of kingdom thinking and living. While He hung on the cross in the throes of death, He cried out, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:24) If you have anger, bitterness, rage, and unforgiveness in your heart, you are living beneath your privileges as a citizen of God's eternal kingdom; you have lost sight of Christ's life and his call upon your life. Return to him, give him the hardness of your heart, and He will restore you to perfect union with him, for He loves you and never leaves you. Rise up, church, and let the kingdom thrive within you and through you.
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