WAITING FOR GOD’S KINGDOM

 “Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the Kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation, nor will they say, ‘See here’ or see there!’ For indeed, the Kingdom of God is within you. Then He said to the disciples, “The days will not see it. And they will say to you, ‘Look here!’ or ‘look there!’ Do not go after them or follow them. For as the lightning that flashes out of one part under heaven shines to the other part under heaven, so also the Son of Man will be in His day. But after He must suffer many things and be rejected by come when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will this generation” (Lk 17:20-25).

The Kingdom of God is utterly unlike the kingdom of this world (v.20). Our Lord means that His approach and presence were not to be marked by out­ward signs of dignity. Those who expected to observe anything of this kind were to be dis­appointed. They would wait and watch for such a kingdom in vain, while the real king­dom would be in the midst of them without their knowing it (v.21).

The expression which our Lord here uses describes exactly the beginning of His spir­itual Kingdom. It began in a manger in Bethlehem without the knowledge of the great, the rich and the wise. It appeared suddenly in the temple at Jerusalem and none but Simeon and Anna recognized the King. It was received thirty years after by none but few fishermen and publicans in Galilee. The rulers and Pharisees had no eyes to see it. The King came to His Kingdom. But they were looking in the wrong direction. They were waiting for signs that they had no warrant for expecting. The Kingdom of God was actually in the midst of them! Yet they could not see it!

The second coming of our Lord will be a very sudden event (v.24). Of the precise day and hour of the event we know nothing. But whenever it might take place, one thing at least is clear - it will come on the world suddenly without previous notice (Mt 24:44; 1 Thess 5:2).

The suddenness of Christ’s advent is a solemn thought. It ought to make us study a contin­ual preparedness of mind. Our heart’s desire and endeavor should always be ready to meet our Lord (Rev 16:15). Those who denounce the doctrine of the second coming as speculative, fanciful and unpracti­cal would do well to reconsider the subject. The doc­trine was not so regarded in the days of the apostles. In their eyes, patience, hope, diligence, moderation, personal holiness, etc., were inseparably linked with the expectation of our Lord’s return.

Let us meditate: The Thessalonians turned to serve the living God and to wait for His Son from heaven (I Thess 1:9-10). You may be serving, but are you also waiting?