The Coming Kingdom of God

The Pharisees asked Jesus when the kingdom of God should come.  Jesus said, “The kingdom of God cometh not with observation”.  And this has been true for the entire church age.  The kingdom of God is within you.

Yet, Jn 3:3-6 says that you must be born again to “see” the kingdom of God and to “enter” the kingdom of God.  This is true following the 2nd Advent of Jesus, Rev 12:10.  In the meantime, the kingdom of God enters you.  The kingdom of God is righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost, Rom 14:17.

Jesus said that “the days will come when ye shall desire to see one of the days of Son of man…”.  One of the days is in Jn 8:56, concerning the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus, Heb 11:17-19.  Another of the days is the 2nd Advent of Jesus.

“…And ye shall not see it”.  Well, in Rev 1:7, every eye shall see him when he comes, even they that pierced him.  So, it’s not that they don’t see his 2nd Advent day; it’s that they don’t see it when they desire to see it, Matt 24:21-22.  Things are so bad during the Tribulation.  Look what the souls under the altar are crying in Rev 6:9-10.

People will be saying “See here; or, see there”.  Jesus instructed them to “go not after them”.  See Matt 24:26.

They’ll know when he’s coming.  As lightning shining from the east to the west, “so shall also the Son of man be in his day”.  See Matt 24:27.  Flat earth people don’t realize that when Jesus, the light of the world, shows up, he can circle the earth more than seven times in one second, like a supernatural flash of lightning and every eye will see him.

“But first he must suffer many things”.  That’s “this” day of the Son of man, Lk 9:22.

Following these details, Jesus compares what happens at his coming to what happened in the days of Noah and Lot.  Things are going to be the same as they were then.

In the days of Noah, they did eat, they drank, they married, and they were given in marriage until the day Noah entered into the ark.  It was business as usual.  Then Noah entered the ark and the flood came and destroyed them all.  Noah went up.

In the days of Lot they did eat, they drank, they bought and sold, they planted and builded.  It was business as usual.  But the same day, Lot went out.  Fire and brimstone destroyed them all.

Even thus (like days of Lot) shall it be in the DAY when the Son of man is revealed.  Now watch what follows.

IN THAT DAY the man on the housetop and the man in the field flee to the mountains without returning back or taking anything from the house.  Compare Matt 24:15-18, where the men on the housetop and in the field flee when the abomination of desolation stands in the holy place (mid-tribulation, Dan 9:27).  Mk 13:14-16 says the same thing.

This looks like a mid-tribulation appearance of Jesus.  Consider Heb 9:27-28, where Jesus appears only to them “that look for him”.  Heb 12:14 where only those who follow peace and holiness “shall see the Lord”.  Matt 5:8, “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God”.  1 Jn 3:6, “whosever sinneth hath not seen him”.

Jesus appeared to Paul, 1 Cor 15:8, “as of one born out of due time”.  It’s evident that Jesus reveals himself to Jews at around the same time the man of sin is revealed in 2 Thes 2:3-4.

When they flee they are not to look back.  They are to flee to the mountains which is where the angels told Lot to flee.  In Rev 12:6, 14 this is where they will be fed for 3 1/2 years.

If they try to save their life by turning back or attempting to get something out of their house, they’ll lose it.  If lose their life by running without anything, they will preserve it.  The Lord will take care of them.

IN THAT NIGHT (Mk 13:35 are all watches of the night), one will be taken (like Noah and Lot) and the other left (like all those destroyed).  This is the Tribulation rapture, Rev 7:9-17.  The saved around the throne in Rev 7 are not the same as the saved John sees in Rev 5.  Notice, between the raptured church in Rev 5 and the raptured tribulation saints in Rev 7 is Rev 6, the opening of the six seals of the tribulation.

Where the eagles are is Matt 24:28, Rev 19:15-18.  At this appearance, they shall all see him, 2 Thes 1:7-10.

To view the previous lesson, click on The Conduct of a Disciple; Ten Lepers.