THE INVISIBLE, INTERNAL, ETERNAL KINGDOM OF GOD

 “nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or, ‘There it is!’ For behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst.”Luke 17:21

Within this “little Lukan apocalypse” we find side-by-side teachings that demonstrate the twofold nature of God’s kingdom. The realized nature of the kingdom is seen in Luke 17:20–21. In fulfillment of the OT promises God’s kingdom is seen by Jesus and Luke as having already arrived so that the Pharisees’ question in Lk 17:20 reveals the same error as the statement in Lk 14:15. Questions involving the future coming of God’s kingdom must not lose sight of the already-now dimension of the kingdom. Already now the kingdom has come, and the future not-yet dimension of God’s kingdom will be shared only if one now enters the kingdom in its present manifestation.

Wiersbe - The Jewish people lived in an excited atmosphere of expectancy, particularly at the Passover season when they commemorated their deliverance from Egypt. They longed for another Moses who would deliver them from their bondage. Some had hoped that John the Baptist would be the deliverer, and then the attention focused on Jesus (John 6:15). The fact that He was going to Jerusalem excited them all the more (Luke 19:11). Perhaps He would establish the promised kingdom! 

Jesus had made it very clear what was required to "see" this "invisible" kingdom. Speaking to Nicodemus He said “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot (absolutely continually will not be able to) see the Kingdom of God.” (John 3:3). 

Simply stated, if you do not recognize the King (Jesus) you cannot see the Kingdom of God. However, as explained below, the day will come when even the spiritually blind will see the Visible Kingdom, for they will then behold the Visible King. Sadly, it will be too late to repent at that time. Today is the day of salvation!

Jesus told the disciples in the Upper Room, “Truly I say to you, I will never again drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God” “the King will say to those on His right [the sheep], ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world’” (Mt. 25:34), but for those who reject Him “there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when [they] see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but [they themselves] being thrown out. And they will come from east and west and from north and south, and will recline at the table in the kingdom of God” (Luke 13:28-29).

The verb "is" (in your midst) is in the present tense signifying the Kingdom of God was present now, even as Jesus was speaking. But they could not see it! They were waiting and looking for the Kingdom of God, but it was continually present now! The Pharisees (and most of the Jews and most of fallen mankind) simply did not have their spiritual eyes opened to be able to see the Kingdom, because at present it is a spiritual Kingdom, not a visible kingdom. When Christ returns as King of kings (Rev 19:11-16-note), the invisible Kingdom of God will suddenly and forever become a visible Kingdom.

Wiersbe - The statement “the kingdom of God is within you” has challenged Bible translators and interpreters for centuries, and many explanations have been given. One thing we can be sure of is that He was not telling the unbelieving Pharisees that they had the kingdom of God in their hearts! The Greek preposition can mean “within,” “among,” or “in the midst of.” Jesus was saying, “Don’t look for the kingdom ‘out there’ unless it is first in your own heart” (see Rom. 14:17). At the same time, He may also have been saying, “The fact that I am here in your midst is what is important, for I am the King. How can you enter the kingdom if you reject the King?” (see Luke 19:38–40) The Pharisees were preoccupied with the great events of the future but were ignoring the opportunities of the present (Luke 12:54–57).

Earlier in Luke Jesus had taught about the Kingdom of God...

Luke 13:18-21-note So He was saying, “What is the kingdom of God like, and to what shall I compare it? 19“It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and threw into his own garden; and it grew and became a tree, and THE BIRDS OF THE AIR NESTED IN ITS BRANCHES.”  20 And again He said, “To what shall I compare the kingdom of God? 21 “It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three pecks of flour until it was all leavened.”

The kingdom of God begins in the heart of all who believe and it grows and grows like the mustard seed and like leaven until it is fully realized in its millennial glory, which is the final phase of the expanding Kingdom of God on earth. In other words, the Kingdom of God begins as a spiritual Kingdom in the heart but is consummated in a visible Kingdom on earth in the Millennium.

So how does the Kingdom of God grow? Every time a person accepts Christ as Savior and Lord the Kingdom of God grows or expands so to speak, just as Luke described in Acts 2:47 writing that "the Lord was adding to their number day by day [Kingdom of God expanding] those who were being saved." And not only does this aspect of the Kingdom of God grow like a mustard seed or like leaven, but one day when Christ the King is revealed so too will be His loyal subjects. Paul explains this aspect of the Kingdom of God in Romans 8 writing...

For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly (apekdechomai) for the revealing (apokalupsis = MEANS TAKING THE LID OFF TO REVEAL WHAT WAS PREVIOUSLY HIDDEN - SAINTS TODAY ARE IN A STAGE OF "INCUBATION" WHICH ONE DAY WILL HATCH OUT IN GLORY!) of the sons of God (BELIEVERS - SURE HOPEFULLY SOME OF YOUR UNREGENERATE FRIENDS KNOW YOU ARE BELIEVERS [cf Mt 5:16, Php 2:15] BUT THEY HAVE NO CLUE OF WHAT YOU WILL BE ON THAT DAY WHEN YOU ARE GLORIFIED!). 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope (ABSOLUTE ASSURANCE OF FUTURE GOOD) 21 that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. (THIS DESCRIBES SAINTS IN THEIR ETERNAL GLORIFIED STATE!)