I can see her now as if it were yesterday, sitting on the edge of our bed with tears welling up in her eyes as she held her belly and talked to it. There she was, my beautifully pregnant wife, having one of her deep, meaningful conversations with our son Tommy while he was still in her womb. And though he had not yet been born, she was a mother already tasting of the joys of having a little child to love. My wife’s experience of mothering a son had already begun, though not yet fully realized, since he had not yet been born. And this experience gives us a window into the nature of the Kingdom of God, which Jesus will unpack for us today in Luke 17:20-37.
You see, as Jesus’ earthly ministry was drawing to a close, He would often use this imagery of a pregnant mother, especially as she was experiencing birth pains or contractions leading up to the delivery of her baby, to describe life on earth just prior to when His Kingdom would come in its fullness. And why do I say in its fullness? Well, because of what the Pharisees would discover after questioning Jesus about when the Kingdom of God was coming during His last journey to Jerusalem in the Spring of 31 AD. When you think about the fact that Jesus had been preaching for just about three and a half years that the Kingdom of God was at hand, and based on what their expectations were about how this kingdom would be established, you might be tempted to think that their question arose from a sincere, yet somewhat impatient place. However, when you consider their constant attempts to trap Jesus by their questioning, their rejection of the kind of king and kingdom He was offering and their seething hatred of Him which actively led them to seek His death, you begin to realize that their question actually suggests they were insinuating He must be failing to bring about the kingdom He’d been talking about. It’s as if they were saying, “Ok, Jesus. When’s this kingdom finally going to come that You’ve been talking about for over three years now?” And when you understand that their expectations of the Messiah’s kingdom were merely about royal pomp and splendor, nationalism and the violent overthrow of the Romans, then you begin to understand why Jesus responded to them by saying the Kingdom of God wasn’t coming with signs to be observed or with someone having to say “Look, Here it is!” or “There it is!”. The Kingdom of God wasn’t coming with the earthly, temporal outward display of royalty and human might they were desiring. As a matter of fact, not only was the Kingdom coming in a way they weren’t expecting, Jesus would go on to tell them they’re looking for a Kingdom that had already come! Now I know some of your translations read in verse 22 that Jesus said the Kingdom of God is within you. And yes, it’s wonderfully true, especially after the cross when the Holy Spirit was poured out, that the primary place Jesus seeks to reign is within our hearts. However, these Pharisees’ hearts, whom Jesus was speaking to, weren’t likely open to Jesus and His reign. Plus, in its immediate context and through a careful reading of the Greek text, Jesus was actually saying “…the Kingdom of God is within your midst.” Jesus, the King, was standing before them in their midst and wherever the King is, there is the Kingdom! Even more so, what they had witnessed in His life, teachings and ministry was already the ushering in of the Kingdom of God.
Then Jesus turns to His disciples, knowing their deep affection for Him, and tells them that the days will come when they will long to experience His physically presence again. He was already, tenderly trying to prepare them for His upcoming death, burial, resurrection, ascension and reign from the throne of Heaven. His followers would continue to live life in His “already” Kingdom, though “not yet” fully come. You see, for those of us who have received our Savior King by faith and are living life under His reign of love, the Kingdom of God is already here, but has not yet fully come. We are living life in between His already, not yet Kingdom. So for those of us who long for the return of our King’s physical presence, what does He have to say to us about life just before His Kingdom fully comes? Well, if your heart is longing for Jesus, then I invite you to let Him show you, through the Spirit, beginning in verse 23…
“They will say to you, ‘Look there! Look here!’ Do not go away, and do not run after them. For just like the lightning, when it flashes out of one part of the sky, shines to the other part of the sky, so will the Son of Man be in His day. But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.”
Jesus was making it clear that when it comes to His Kingdom there would be a cross before a crown. And that during this “in between” period there would be those who would seek to call His followers attention to the arrival of the Messiah’s Kingdom as being “here” or “there”, which if you remember in verse 21, was the exact kind of language the Pharisees were expecting to hear. And this could be due to the fact that prior to Jesus’ arrival and after, there were many false Messiah figures who rose up seeking to draw a following to themselves by using this same type of language, so they could bring about the kingdom of God by human means. For example, there were those like the Zealots who sought to bring about the kingdom of God by force through the violent overthrow of the Roman oppressor. This is why Jesus would warn about the deception of false prophets and false messiahs prior to when His Kingdom comes in its fullness, because it will not come be mere human means, but by universal Divine revelation, like lightning flashing across the sky for all to see. For you see, in life just before Jesus’ Kingdom fully comes, He warns us about…
DECEPTION OVER THE NATURE OF HIS COMING KINGDOM.
Going back to the analogy of a pregnant mother, it’s like when they’re getting close to the arrival of the baby and they start to get pains that feel like contractions, only to discover they were actually what’s called Braxton Hicks contractions. And though Braxton Hicks contractions could signal pre-labor, it’s easy to be deceived by them into thinking they are the actual contractions that precede the delivery of a baby. They are “false labor” pains, for the actual labor pains have not yet fully come. And this is the kind of deception that Jesus is warning about when it comes to false messiahs attempting to set up false second comings. When His Kingdom fully comes it cannot be missed, like when the real labor pains come before delivery! Everyone on earth will see it!
Now you might be tempted to think that if someone where to come around today claiming to be the Messiah or Christ, that you know too much of the Bible to be deceived. However, lest we draw too narrow a view on the nature of how the coming kingdom could be falsely set up by a Messiah-like personality, the prophetic pen of Ellen White writes…
““But today in the religious world there are multitudes who, as they believe, are working for the establishment of the kingdom of Christ as an earthly and temporal dominion. They desire to make our Lord the ruler of the kingdoms of this world, the ruler in its courts and camps, its legislative halls, its palaces and market places. They expect Him to rule through legal enactments, enforced by human authority. Since Christ is not now here in person, they themselves will undertake to act in His stead, to execute the laws of His kingdom.” ”
She is referring to Christians seeking to establish the kingdom and what they perceive to be biblical values through the force of human government. As if anyones heart has ever been moved to love God by obeying His biblical principles because professed Christians used the government to force them to do it! This is the direct warning coming out of Revelation 13 about the “presently forming” image of the Beast that seeks to force freedom of conscience. It is done by Christians, not secularists! If anyone has an ear to hear, let them hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches!
Jesus has already taught us how His Kingdom is to be manifested on earth right now. It is to be manifested by love, not hate; by compassion, not force; by prophetically speaking up against injustice, not complicitly participating in it. It is to be manifested by the spreading of the Gospel and the multiplying of disciples of those who believe it. We must not be deceived by present day false prophets and false messiah figures trying to set up Christ’s Kingdom by force of law and human authority. The reign of Christ is a reign of love, not force. And we’re called to work, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to share the Good News about Jesus and make disciples, while longing for the soon return of our King and His coming Kingdom in its fullness.
However, Jesus has something else He needs to share with us about life just before His Kingdom fully comes in verse 26…
Stay Tuned for Part 2…
LIFE IN CHRIST
Is your heart hungry for something you just don’t know how to describe? Or has your spiritual journey run dry and you’re looking for a refreshing new way to see the Gospel, or the Good News about Jesus, in any part or throughout all of Scripture? Then look no further, for this resource has been designed to help you do just that. The Gospel is the love of God revealed in Jesus Christ & Him crucified for your salvation and the establishment of His Kingdom. The Bible is its epic, unfolding story. It’s with this Gospel lens that this 365-day devotional journal invites you to experience Jesus by reading, meditating and journaling through Scripture in a way that’s simple, yet totally life-changing! You’ll learn practical tips on how to maintain a vital relationship with Jesus, how to hear God’s voice, how to do this with others in a small group and much more. So come, enter the story and experience the joy of life in Christ!
CJ COUSINS, Speaker/Author
Follower of Jesus, Husband, Father, Associate Pastor for Younger Generations at Vienna SDA Church and Speaker/Author for Living For Him. CJ’s passion is to live, preach & teach the Good News about Jesus and multiply disciples for His Kingdom.