The Kingdom Of God For Dummies Part 1 Series

Wherever Jesus the King healed the sick, overcame evil and Satan in people’s lives, released the oppressed and bound, or saved souls, he was manifesting the authority, power, and purposes of God, i.e. the Kingdom of God.

1. The Kingdom of God is present today

The Kingdom of God is still present because Jesus is still present in the church through the Holy Spirit, so we can still see God’s Kingdom being manifested in healing the sick, overcoming evil, releasing the oppressed and bound, and in saving the lost. This fact of the Kingdom of God’s current presence should affect our expectations and our prayers.

1. The Kingdom of God is present today

Does this mean that all that we experience now is all there is to the Kingdom of God? Is there no future expectations regarding the Kingdom of God? No, not at all. When Jesus says the Kingdom of God is present or in your midst, he doesn’t mean the full manifestation of God’s rule. Obviously, sin, Satan, evil, suffering, etc. all still exist, and even the Christian only experiences God’s purposes and power to overcome these things in part. The fullness of the Kingdom of God is in the future, as we have read already in the Book of Revelation. In fact, Jesus gives us teaching regarding the future and full manifestation of the Kingdom of God in the next few verses.

In some ways, the Kingdom of God is like a hurricane approaching Florida’s coast. When the outer bands began to come onshore, the wind will pick up and also the rains. The meteorologist can accurately say, "The hurricane is here; it is present." At the same time, any knowledgeable person knows that this little bit of wind is only a foretaste of the intensity that is to come. In the same way, the manifestations of the Kingdom of God we experience today are only a foretaste of what is to come in great intensity and power. This fullness takes place when Jesus comes again. Jesus discusses this full manifestation of the Kingdom of God in the next few verses, where we will see the second characteristic of the Kingdom of God which I will expound upon today.

Read Luke 17:22-25

2. The full manifestation of the Kingdom of God will be obvious to all.

Jesus has just noted how the current presence of the Kingdom of God cannot be discerned by careful observation. In fact, the religious leaders of the day were totally unaware of the Kingdom of God’s presence, but the full future manifestation of the Kingdom of God will be totally different. It will be obvious to all, like lightning in the sky. I’ll comment more on this in a moment, but first let explain verses 22 and 23.

The text specifically notes that Jesus is now speaking to his disciples. He says that the time will come when they "long to see one of the days of the Son of Man." This could be a reference to the disciples longing for Jesus in the sense that they were wistfully thinking back to the good old days, when Jesus was on the earth. This verse more likely refers to the disciples longing for the return of Jesus the King to set up his Kingdom. The disciples were not looking for things in this world. They were not looking for worldly success, bigger houses, or fancy clothes. Their burning desire was for the return of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God! Titus 2:13 tells us that Christians eagerly "wait for the blessed hope-the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ." The earnest desire and cry of the early church in a sin-sick world was "Come Lord Jesus!"