I am presently involved in series of short studies on the nature of the Kingdom of God. Jesus did say, after all, that it couldn’t be seen with our physical eyes (Luke 17:20-21). Therefore, what manner of Kingdom should we be looking for, if it cannot be physically observed. The point of fact remains, however, that all three futurist points of view, as that pertains to the Second Coming of Christ, demand a visible or physical Kingdom in which Christ will reign in a physical body. How could that be done in a Kingdom that cannot be observed with our physical eyes? Therefore, such an eschatology is simply illogical. It is self-contradictory.
Paul tells us that we walk by faith, not by sight (2Corinthians 5:7), which he alluded to earlier:
While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:18)
The verb, look (G4648; skopeo) is a present active participial, which points to a ‘continuous or repeated action.”[1] In the text above, the main verb is seen (G991; blepo), so Paul is saying that he and the Corinthians are not looking at or are not considering the things they are physically seeing. Rather, they are (what they see physically) the things they are not considering. Why? Because, the things they are able to physically see are temporal, but the things they cannot see with their physical eyes are eternal.
It is evident that the Jews looked for the Messiah for the inauguration of a physical Kingdom, in which he would cast off the bonds of their Roman oppressors. In fact, in John 6:15 they decided to make Jesus their King, because of the absolutely astonishing miracle he had just done on their behalf. Today, the eschatology of the premillennialists, postmillennialists and amillennialists in some manner mimic this Jewish point of view, which was held in the first century AD. The problem is, Jesus rejected that eschatology! When the Jews tried to make him their King, he withdrew from them. Why would he do that, if the nature of the Kingdom of God was the physical Kingdom the Jews offered Jesus? ‘Come, reign over us!’ they said, but Jesus replied, “No! I will not do it!? Yet, he would later tell Pilate that he was, indeed, a King, and for this reason he had been born (John 18:37). What is missing here?
Let’s consider for a moment how John expressed these matters in the Apocalypse. He wrote to the churches in Asia that they dwelt among folks who claimed to be Jews (Revelation 3:9), but weren’t (i.e. they weren’t the people of God). The churches were under a state of persecution (Revelation 1:9; 2:9-10), and some would be cast into prison and killed (Revelation 2:10). From a visible (i.e. physical) perspective, believers were hated, demoralized and disowned by family and former friends and associates. Who could ever consider this group of nonconformists conquerors? Yet, in each of the seven messages to the churches, the Lord called for his disciples to conquer or overcome (G3528; nikao; see Revelation 2:7, 11, 17, 26; 3:5, 12, 21). In fact, Jesus has made the churches a Kingdom of priests. In 1Peter 2:5 they were called living stones, which were built up a spiritual Temple (house) in which they served in spiritual priesthood and offered spiritual sacrifices.
Paul told them not to look at the things that were seen—the Jews who claimed to be God’s people and served in a physical Temple. Rather, they were look at those things they couldn’t physically see, that is, to a Kingdom that couldn’t be observed (Luke 17:21-21), a Kingdom in which they were the Temple of God, and they served in a ‘spiritual priesthood’ and in which they offered up spiritual sacrifices to God. Who could literally or physically see this? Who could physically observe it taking place? Yet, the scriptures tell us, this is exactly what was taking place throughout the world in the first century AD. What would you call a Kingdom like that? It was invisible. Would you call it physical? The scriptures say otherwise.
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[1] Spiros Zodhiates, Th.D.; The Complete Word Study New Testament; ‘Grammatical Notations’; page 866.
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