Shalom, Jack.
shturt678 said:
Thank you for your response and caring!
Jer.31:31-40 Bring you up to speed, ie, the new covenant already came to pass when the Godman Jesus brought the Kingdom of Christ with Him - the spiritual Kingdom of God presently in the Messianic age, ie, this moment.
Old lower paygrade Jack's opinion
Brought it with Him ... and took it away again when He left this earth! Yeshua` will
LITERALLY REIGN in the Kingdom of the Messiah (Christ). He will not leave it to another to rule! This is certainly NOT the "Messianic age" and there is NO such thing as a "spiritual Kingdom of God!" That's just not true!
Luke 19:11-28
11 And as they heard these things, he added and spake a parable, because he was nigh to Jerusalem, and because they thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear.
12 He said therefore, A certain nobleman (representing Yeshua`) went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return.
13 And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come.
14 But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us.
15 And it came to pass, that when he was returned, having received the kingdom, then he commanded these servants to be called unto him, to whom he had given the money, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading.
16 Then came the first, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds.
17 And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities.
18 And the second came, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds.
19 And he said likewise to him, Be thou also over five cities.
20 And another came, saying, Lord, behold, here is thy pound, which I have kept laid up in a napkin:
21 For I feared thee, because thou art an austere man: thou takest up that thou layedst not down, and reapest that thou didst not sow.
22 And he saith unto him, Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant. Thou knewest that I was an austere man, taking up that I laid not down, and reaping that I did not sow:
23 Wherefore then gavest not thou my money into the bank, that at my coming I might have required mine own with usury?
24 And he said unto them that stood by, Take from him the pound, and give it to him that hath ten pounds.
25 (And they said unto him, Lord, he hath ten pounds.)
26 For I say unto you, That unto every one which hath shall be given; and from him that hath not, even that he hath shall be taken away from him.
27 But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me.
28 And when he had thus spoken, he went before, ascending up to Jerusalem.
KJV
This literal, physical Kingdom of God is forever linked to the literal, physical, bodily presence of the Messiah Yeshua`! When Yeshua` was present with His people, the tribe of Y'hudah (Judah; Judaea; the Jews), they had the chance of ushering in the Kingdom of God - God's Kingdom - that He entrusts to His Representative King, the Messiah Yeshua`. Had the elders of His tribe accepted Him as their King, seven years later Isra'el could have had a King, and then the world would have had the King of kings - the World Emperor - LITERALLY reigning over them from Yerushalayim, Yisra'el. When they rejected His authority, the authority that God His Father gave Him, He likewise rejected them and left them "desolate" UNTIL they can say, "Baruwkh haba' bshem YHWH," which means "Welcome, Comer in the authority of YHWH," but was translated often as "Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the LORD."
There are a few verses that are commonly used to suggest that the Kingdom of God is present now, but they are simply misinterpreted:
Luke 17:20-30
20 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:
21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.
22 And he said unto the disciples, The days will come, when ye shall desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, and ye shall not see it.
23 And they shall say to you, See here; or, see there: go not after them, nor follow them.
24 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.
25 But first must he suffer many things, and be rejected of this generation.
26 And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.
27 They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.
28 Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded;
29 But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.
30 Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.
KJV
The word translated as "within" is the Greek word "
entos," which CAN mean "within," but it can also mean "among." I've used the King James Version because, for English, it retains the case and NUMBER for the second person pronouns. The "thee's" and "thou's" are singular; the "ye's" and "you's" are plural! So, when Yeshua` said
TO THE PHARISEES the "Kingdom of God is [
entos]
you (
plural)," He was talking to
THEM AS A GROUP! NOT to each one of them individually! The Kingdom of God
WAS "within" them as a group; it was "
AMONG" them! And, it was among them because the Messiah Yeshua`, who will be the King of God's Kingdom, was "
AMONG" them right then! The King and His Kingdom go hand-in-hand! Without the physical presence of the King, there is no physical presence of the Kingdom!
The verses following this one in Luke 17 are explanatory: People who hate the Jews will entice them with the words "Here's the Messiah!" or "There He is!" Yeshua` said, "Don't go with them and don't follow them! For as the lightning flashes on one side of the sky and brightens up the other side of the sky at night, that's how obvious the coming of the Son of Man will be! But first, He must suffer many
injustices and be rejected by this generation!"
Yeshua` also said this to the elders of the Jews:
John 7:32-36
32 The Pharisees heard that the people murmured such things concerning him; and the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take him.
33 Then said Jesus unto them, Yet a little while am I with you, and then I go unto him that sent me.
34 Ye shall seek me, and shall not find me: and where I am, thither ye cannot come.
35 Then said the Jews among themselves, Whither will he go, that we shall not find him? will he go unto the dispersed among the Gentiles, and teach the Gentiles?
36 What manner of saying is this that he said, Ye shall seek me, and shall not find me: and where I am, thither ye cannot come?
KJV
This statement stumped them.
Yeshua` also knew that there would be two groups: Those who would reject Him as their King, and those who would try to FORCE Him to be their King:
Matthew 11:12
12 And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.
KJV
John 6:13-15
13 Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten.
14 Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world.
15 When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone.
KJV
That WASN'T how Yeshua` was to be made a King! His methodology has always been to work with individuals one at a time, on a one-by-one basis! Yeshua`, however, was NOT "changing the rules of the game," as some would suggest that He did, making the "Kingdom" a "spiritual Kingdom" instead of a physical one; it was simply that the timing had to be on
GOD'S time table, not on the schedule of any man! And, that's precisely what He said in Acts 1:6-8:
Acts 1:6-11
6 So when they met together, they asked him, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?"
7 He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
9 After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.
10 They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 11 "Men of Galilee," they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven (the sky), will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven (the sky)."
NIV
(I don't know why translators can't get this right, but the word for "heaven" in verse 11b is the
SAME GREEK WORD as the word for "sky" in verses 10 and 11a, the word "
ouranos," and it simply means "the sky!")
Another misunderstood passage of Scripture is when Yeshua` was speaking with Pilate:
John 18:33-38
33 Then Pilate entered into the judgment hall again, and called Jesus, and said unto him, Art thou the King of the Jews?
34 Jesus answered him, Sayest thou this thing of thyself, or did others tell it thee of me?
35 Pilate answered, Am I a Jew? Thine own nation and the chief priests have delivered thee unto me: what hast thou done?
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.
37 Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.
38 Pilate saith unto him, What is truth? And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews, and saith unto them, I find in him no fault at all.
KJV
Again, one must turn to the Greek: The word for "world" in verse 36 is "
kosmos" which means a "world-SYSTEM" of politics and hierarchy. When Yeshua` said that His Kingdom was not of this world-system, He was NOT saying that His Kingdom was not of this earth! It's not the Greek word "
gee" (spelled gamma-eta) that was used here! That word DOES mean the "earth," the planet, or more specifically, the "ground" or the "dirt" on the ground. These people were, mostly, an agrarian society. Thus, He was NOT saying that He was taking His Kingdom "off-planet"; He was saying that His Kingdom would be of a different caliber!
A third misunderstood passage of Scripture can be found in all three of the synoptic Gospels:
Matthew 16:28-17:13
16:28 Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.
17:1 And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart,
2 And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.
3 And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him.
4 Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias.
5 While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.
6 And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid.
7 And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid.
8 And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only.
9 And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen again from the dead.
10 And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come?
11 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things.
12 But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them.
13 Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist.
KJV
Mark 9:1-13
9 And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power.
2 And after six days Jesus taketh with him Peter, and James, and John, and leadeth them up into an high mountain apart by themselves: and he was transfigured before them.
3 And his raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them.
4 And there appeared unto them Elias with Moses: and they were talking with Jesus.
5 And Peter answered and said to Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here: and let us make three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias.
6 For he wist not what to say; for they were sore afraid.
7 And there was a cloud that overshadowed them: and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him.
8 And suddenly, when they had looked round about, they saw no man any more, save Jesus only with themselves.
9 And as they came down from the mountain, he charged them that they should tell no man what things they had seen, till the Son of man were risen from the dead.
10 And they kept that saying with themselves, questioning one with another what the rising from the dead should mean.
11 And they asked him, saying, Why say the scribes that Elias must first come?
12 And he answered and told them, Elias verily cometh first, and restoreth all things; and how it is written of the Son of man, that he must suffer many things, and be set at nought.
13 But I say unto you, That Elias is indeed come, and they have done unto him whatsoever they listed, as it is written of him.
KJV
Luke 9:27-36
27 But I tell you of a truth, there be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the kingdom of God.
28 And it came to pass about an eight days after these sayings, he took Peter and John and James, and went up into a mountain to pray.
29 And as he prayed, the fashion of his countenance was altered, and his raiment was white and glistering.
30 And, behold, there talked with him two men, which were Moses and Elias:
31 Who appeared in glory, and spake of his decease which he should accomplish at Jerusalem.
32 But Peter and they that were with him were heavy with sleep: and when they were awake, they saw his glory, and the two men that stood with him.
33 And it came to pass, as they departed from him, Peter said unto Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here: and let us make three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias: not knowing what he said.
34 While he thus spake, there came a cloud, and overshadowed them: and they feared as they entered into the cloud.
35 And there came a voice out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him.
36 And when the voice was past, Jesus was found alone. And they kept it close, and told no man in those days any of those things which they had seen.
KJV
So, in each of these passages, the fulfillment of Yeshua`s words that some of His disciples would "see the kingdom of God come with power" is to be found in the very next incident on the Mount of Transfiguration! However, Yeshua` points out in Matthew 17:9 that it was a
VISION of what was to come! Matthew also conveys Yeshua`s words that they would "see the Son of man coming in His Kingdom!" It was not that Yeshua` was bringing the Kingdom to them right then, but they were seeing a
VISION of what it would be like when the Son of man comes back IN HIS KINGDOM; therefore, they would also see the Kingdom of God coming with power! To see the coming of the King is to see the coming of the Kingdom of God! As I said, the King and His Kingdom always go hand-in-hand! One cannot have the one without the other ... and not in some nebulous, "spiritual" sense, either!
