Once, on being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in your midst.”
Luke 17:20-21 NIV
When does the Kingdom of God come? The Jews looked back with longing to the reign of David when the nation had reached its peak. And they remembered the words of the prophets who had foretold a time when a descendant of David would reign forever on the throne of a renewed Jewish nation.
John the Baptist (Matt. 3:2) and Jesus (Matt. 4:17) both announced that the Kingdom was at hand. And many of Jesus’ parables were descriptive of the Kingdom of God. So, it would be natural for the Pharisees to ask what they did. When should we expect this kingdom to come? When will David ride into town on a white horse and throw out the Romans? And some today continue to look forward to a physical kingdom of God here on the earth.
The Kingdom Is Present Now
But Jesus’ response to the Pharisees indicates that their concept of the Kingdom of God was in error. He told them that it could not be observed. No one would be able to point to a physical location where it could be found. But while the Kingdom is unseen by human eyes, it is present among us. It is a spiritual kingdom that will never end, where Jesus rules as king. And all who call on him as Lord are members of that kingdom.
Not everyone today bows before Jesus as their king. But there is coming a day when every knee will bow and confess him as Lord (Phil. 2:9-11). For those who have waited until then, it will be too late (Luke 16:26). But for those who follow him now, that will be a glorious time when the kingdom is revealed in glory and power, and everything is made new (Rev. 21:1).
Are you a citizen of the Kingdom of God? If not, I encourage you to trust in the Lord Jesus today before it’s too late and experience his salvation (Acts 16:31). When you do, you will experience life in the Kingdom.
