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: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you. 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. And they shall say to you, See here; or, see there: go not after them, nor follow them. 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. But first must he suffer many things, and be rejected of this generation. And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. 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. Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.
Behold! The Kingdom of God Is Within You!
Beloved of the Lord......In one way or another, man has always been trying to create paradise on earth. The Tower of Babel for example, was intended to unite all the people on earth, but this unity was against God. The Roman Empire likewise was another attempt to create an empire where citizens would have certain rights and even a voice in government. After both World War I and II, there was also the creation of the League of Nations, and then the United Nations. They still hope to make a new world order but may God forbid it! In our own country today there is likewise socialism and liberalism. They constantly trumpet and proclaim equality. They imagine that if only we can make everything equal, everybody will be happy and no one poor.
Man can never make paradise on earth however, and here is why: all men are born in sin and we are not even equal by birth nor has God given all the same talents. Some are born into poverty and others are born into riches. Some are born smart and others not so. Some are strong and others weak. Some have disease and others healthy. Some die unexpectedly while they are young and others die when expected as old. Moreover, even if we did take all the wealth of our country and divide it up equally, would that create paradise on earth? Can any man divide up the possessions of another fairly? Does the drunkard deserve the wealth of a man who works 40 or 50 or 60 hours a week? Does the homeless person on the street deserve all the money in your savings account? The problem with the utopia of socialism is we always covet the wealth of the rich man above us. It is always an easy sell for the masses because "the love of money is the root of all evil". God however says "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house", nor "thy neighbor's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbor's." Once redistribution of wealth becomes redistribution of YOUR wealth or MY wealth, suddenly there is a problem.
Instead of wealth or equality, what every man needs is the forgiveness of all sins and Jesus gives this equally to all men by the cross. It is all then in vain when false prophets promise us paradise on earth. The universal flood and the fiery destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah are mere fore-types of God's future judgment. Jesus then is not a restorer of paradise on earth, rather He is our Savior and Deliverer from earth to heaven. Yet this is all contrary to the eye. Jesus doesn't look like a winner when He is hanging from the cross, but that really was the time when Jesus won. Outwardly Jesus lost by what we see, yet inwardly by faith we know Jesus won. When things here in this world then go from bad to worse, by faith you must see Christ rising from the dead, the angels rejoicing. We too shall rise and we too shall be victorious. Jesus said, "These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world."
I. The Pharisees, the Disciples, and Millennialism. We begin today with the question of the Pharisees, "when the kingdom of God should come!" Their question shows a false understanding of what God's kingdom really was. Today we would call them "Millennialists". The Pharisees believed the day would come when God would establish a visible kingdom on earth by way of a political or social revolution. Failing to see the nature of God's kingdom is spiritual not temporal, the Jews as a whole wanted to rule the world and not be ruled. They also lusted for revenge.
Where did this come from? That is a loaded question. On the surface this teaching of millennialism can be traced all the way back to the Babylonian captivity. Mistaking the spiritual character of the Messiah's kingdom, certain Jews believed the Messiah "would rule visibly and gloriously in Jerusalem, His capital, over all the nations of the earth, and that the Jews, as His special people, would be exalted to permanent dignity and privileges" (Concordia Cyclopedia, 1927, pg 128). It appears the Jews adopted many of these beliefs from a certain pagan religion called Zoroastrianism. Zoroaster taught one "day the souls of the just would be reunited with their bodies, not in a heavenly paradise, but on earth. Zoroaster anticipated……an eventual cleansing of the earth, restored to its original perfection and beauty" (Christian News, Feb. 29, 1988).
What may surprise us is Jesus' own disciples, originally held to some of these errors, particularly Simon Zelotes, mentioned in Luke 6:15. Simon originally belonged to an apocalyptic group. The Jewish historian Josephus said they were called Zealots "for that was the name they went by, as if they were zealous in good undertakings, and were not rather zealous in the worst actions and extravagant in them beyond the example of others." (The Works of Josephus, 1988, pg. 672) They were the reason Jerusalem was later destroyed by Titus in 70 A.D. The Zealots were also those Jews who retreated to that high fortress near Jerusalem named the Masada. When the Roman army besieged them, 1000 Zealots committed suicide before capture.
II. The Kingdom of God comes not with observation but lives within. When Jesus thus spoke to correct the Pharisees and his own disciples, He was doing so for the sake of their salvation and not damnation. False doctrine always leads souls to hell and not heaven. Jesus said, "The kingdom of God cometh not with observation, neither shall they say Lo here or Lo there, for behold the Kingdom of God is within you." This Kingdom of God is the Holy Christian Church on earth, all true believers but no hypocrites. It cannot be outwardly seen because saving faith in Christ is an inward thing, a matter of the heart. When the Holy Ghost calls us by the Gospel so the light of Christ shines within, we still look the same on the outside - poor miserable sinners - yet God has changed and converted our heart. Faith is hidden within. When Peter for example speaks of godly and believing women, he says their beauty will not be found in their outward clothing or jewelry, "But let it be the HIDDEN MAN OF THE HEART, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price." When false prophets then today portray God's Kingdom as something which you can see, some future paradise on earth which is yet to come, they're selling you a big fat lie in order to deceive your soul. When they say to you, "SEE here; or SEE there: go not after them, nor follow them."
Contrary to all this, instead of loving this world or the things of this world, let us love Him whom we cannot see. Our hearts are humbled by Him who first humbled Himself. Jesus came to this earth not as a threat or a judge with the Ten Commandments on each arm, but He came as a innocent and holy Child with grace and mercy, healing in His wings. "For Unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given". In all meekness and humility this Son of God though He was Lord of all, "being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross." If then there is ever a person we should love with all our heart and soul and mind, it is our Lord Jesus who first loved us. We didn't in any way deserve or merit such love, hence it is called GRACE - Grace is God's love toward undeserving sinners. While the Law of God and His curse rightly cause us to tremble in fear of His punishments, it is the grace of God alone given in Christ Jesus which converts, changes, and turns our hearts. Christ's love for us empties us of all pride and self-righteousness. We lament and mourn our sins yet we do not despair for we live in God's grace because Jesus is a Friend of sinners. He suffered and died only "that I may be His own and live under Him in His kingdom, and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness." "For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inwardman is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory."
III. The Second Coming of Christ. That is one of the blessed teachings of the Scriptures: these afflictions are "but for a moment". We are now in a "short season" of limited duration, and God will never give us more than we can bear, "but will with the temptation also make a way to escape that ye may be able to bear it."
Yet it will be difficult, and because God is honest He doesn't sugar coat it for us. The Christian life is not a bed of roses, but a cross, yet they that sow in tears shall reap in glory. "Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me." Since the cross leads to glory, we have to be careful not to be caught up in the life of this world. Believers live in the world but we are not of the world…..hence the warning of Jesus to His disciples. When Christ returns in His Second Coming, it will be as quick as the lightning which begins in one part of heaven, yet shines to the other. This Day will catch the whole world off guard. As in the days of Noah and Lot, they will be eating and drinking, marrying and given in marriage, building and planning, "then shall the end come", suddenly, quickly, and without mercy for unbelievers. In Noah's day as in ours, the world was rejecting the preaching of the Word. They had better things to do. They couldn't care less about the one thing needful. They mocked Noah as a fool. The day God shut the door to the ark, the rains descended until every man and woman scrambled for the highest ground. They fought with one another, clawed at one another until there was no land left. They drifted off into the waters until every one drowned.
Why does Jesus speak with such strong terms to His disciples? It is because He does not want their end to be the same. They needed to be prepared in faith. Likewise today dear believer, Jesus doesn't want your soul to perish by falling in love with this world without repentance, and drifting away into the deep and dark waters of unbelief. Jesus wants you to be sealed into the Ark of His Covenant, the Ship of Grace, the Holy Christian Church on earth which will finally be delivered to glory. As God used the door to shut and seal Noah and his family in, so no evil would befall them, God has given unto us the signs and seals of His grace. In our baptism we have the seal of His grace, the water connected to the Word, which seals unto us His divine forgiveness. The same is true in the Lord's Supper. The bread and wine are the outward visible elements which we receive and taste with our mouth, but inwardly by faith and yet with the mouth, penitent hearts likewise receive the very Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, for the confirmation, strengthening and sealing of our faith. God seals unto us His abundant grace, His tender mercies, "Given and shed for you for the remission of sins." We taste and see that the Lord is good.
Therefore dear believer, though this world will indeed come to sudden destruction, God has promised to keep and preserve you in this Ark of His Grace, the Holy Christian Church. As long as you continue to receive in faith His Means of Grace, as God closed the door upon Noah and that first Church, sealing and protecting them from all harm, so God will through your own Holy Baptism and Holy Communion, keep and preserve you in His holy love, unto life everlasting, and they that endure to the end shall be saved." Do not then faint nor despair, but lift up your eyes and see your salvation come. Even so come quickly Lord Jesus, come quickly. Amen.
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