[CS-FSLUG] TH The kingdom of Heaven

[Ed Hurst]

Nigel Ridley wrote:
> The teaching this week at the fellowship was about the Kingdom of Heaven
> and was based on Luke 17:21 and also Luke 13:18-21 (parallel passage Mt.
> 13:31-33).

[snip]

> a better translation is "the Kingdom of Heaven is amongst you" --

I was under the impression grammatically Jesus was saying, "This Kingdom 
of which I speak is the sort of thing you find inside yourself, if you 
find it at all."

Of course, that puts us at about the same place, given the practical 
application is identical. Membership in the Kingdom means Jesus in you. 
He *is* the Kingdom, and we participate by being in Him.

> What are your thoughts on this? Is the Kingdom of Heaven roughly
> equivalent to the Church age or is it always the same as in 'God in
> eternity'? If it is the Church age then I can see that Christendom
> contains 'the birds of the air' ie. Christian cults and also contains
> much sin, even spread throughout all the different denominations.

Being no Dispensationalist, I still can accept the term "Church Age" if 
we mean generally that period of time between Pentecost and His Return. 
Thus, "Kingdom of Heaven" in this context is that period of time when 
Jesus lives in our hearts prior to seeing Him face to face.

I doubt we can easily find any other implication for the words here. 
However, there is an ambiguity to many things Jesus said, as did His 
followers. It would be typical, I think, of a Hebrew teacher to speak on 
two levels at once in some places. So it's altogether possible Jesus 
meant to say at the same time the Kingdom was eternal in the larger 
sense. There always has been, and will be a Kingdom wherein God reigns, 
since He is the source of all things.


-- 
Ed Hurst
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