[CS-FSLUG] TH The kingdom of Heaven

[Robert W.]

On 07/19/2004 04:23:46 PM, Ed Hurst wrote:
> 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."
[snip]

I was always under the impression that many Jews of Jesus' time  
expected Messiah to be an earthly king. A deliverer who would drive out  
the invaders and establish a physical kingdom in their here and now.  
Could Jesus have been dispelling that perception of Messiah? Entrance  
into heaven's realm isn't by crossing a physical border. It comes from  
a change in who we are (our heart).

--
Robert W.
robertwo at access-4-free.com

Enter through the narrow gate... But small is the gate and narrow the
road that leads to life, and only a few find it. -- Matthew 7:13a,14