Middletown transcript., 1914-06-06

I. The Kingdom Present, w. 20, Fl.
The Pharisees held some peculiar
ideas about the coming OF the king
dom. Contrary to their ideas there
are no special outward signs to herald
its coming. The word observation
v. 20, is an astronomical one and sug'
gests that the kingdom was to come
in a bodily shape from the sky, cur
rent expectation on the part Of the
Pharisees
In answer to the boastful Pharisees
". 20) Jesus plainly told them that
he himself is the kingdom, and that
that kingdom was in their midst or
"among you," see ". 21) margin.
Their question was fippant one, one
of unbelief, and to it Jesus makes a
characteristically brief, but clear re-
ply, that partook of the nature OF
rebuke. The kingdom would not
come with trumpets and drum. They
could not say, "Lo here! 10 there!
It's coming was not to be spectacular
arresting the attention Of some who
In turn brought it to the attention OF
others. The authorized rendering
within you" doe5 not imply that the
kingdom already existed in the indl-
vidual lives of his questioners. Sub
sequent teaching of Jesus shows that
he here refers to another and a 1nal
coming of the kingdom, at the time Of
the final coming Of the son Of man.
n. The Visible Son of Man, w.
22-24. The kingdom in its outward
form was rejected by the Jews, John
1926, 27. In its spiritual form 1t Is
now in the hearts Of believers from.
14:17), but he who was rejected with
contempt will one day be sought after
though in vain, Matt. 23:37-S9. Dur
ing the time of his absence many shall
claim to be Christ ". 23), but we
are not to believe such claims. His
tory has abundantly proved and full
filed this prophecy. When he really
comes there will be sudden publicity
". 24), that shall flash from one cor
ner to the other Of the heavens, Matt.
24:27; then every eye shall behold
him" $50 shall the son Of man be
in his day" This instruction Jesus
gives to his disciples. Men shall
search for him, a time when he shall
not be present as he then was. After
the false ones will come a day OF
revelation when the whole heavens
will reveal him and all will know it.
Flnallty Of Events.
III. The Day Of the Son Of Man, w.
25-37. Before that day comes, how
ever, he must suffer and be rejected,
but following that rejection men will
marry, carry on merchandising and
merriment as in the days Of Noah
and those Of Lot. In the days Of Noah
and of Lot there came sudden halt
in these activities and judgment OF
flood and fire, even so after the same
manner shall 1t be in the day that the
son of man is revealed" v. 30. This
refers to the f1nality Of events when
the kingdom Of God comes by way Of
Judgment. Here Jesus sets his seal
upon the truthfulness Of these two
events which preceded his first ad'
vent. II they be not true then he is
a false teacher. Like as men dis
credit those events they likewise would
set aside his teaching about his Sec
ond advent. Many claim that verse 81
refers to the destruction of Jeru-
salem; the context to US clearly dis
proves any such Interpretation.
Verses go and 33 must be taken to-
gether. The folly Of Lots wife turn.
ing back is all too apparent, but If
we are to gain true life we must lose,
turn our backs upon, worldly life.
Attention has been called to the fact
that the word lose" ". 33) is the
one ordinarily translated destroy
proving that the Bible word ''destruc-
ton" does not mean annihilation. We
might well call verses "a and 35 the
account of a silent migration. AT
his first return there will be some
strange separations. One taken, an
other left Such separations oftet
have been realized when men accept
Christ; when Christians find them.
selves separated from their old com
panions, for his sake. but most Of all
twill be when Christ shall burst upon
the world at his second coming. Jesus
reference to the body" ". 80 means
the dead and corrupt state Of Things
and "the eagles" to the instruments
Of judgment.
Summary. Quite emphatically this
passage is a teaching on the subject
Of the coming Of the Kingdom of God.
That kingdom came when Christ came
in grace. 1t will come when he comes
in Judgment. It is coming constantly
between the two advents. Remember
his Peading Of Isaiah's prophecy. Luke
4:1s, 10; CT. lisa. 61:1-9. In his first
advent he did come to preach the &C
ceptable year, the year Of grace. shat
day is still with US. In his second
advent he will proclaim the day Of the
vengeance Of God. He will establish
the kingdom, win build the waste
places and raise desolations. To-day
the kingdom Of God is among US IL
power through the presence Of Christ
by the spirit in the living church.
To the Pharisees he said: Neither
shall they say, 10 here! 10 there! fol
the kingdom is in your midst" Tt
his disciples he said: "They shall say
10 therel 10 herel go not away mol
follow them" We cannot localize the
kingdom. On an ancient Syrian frag
ment the words Of Luke 1873 read
"and to his kingdom there shall be
no frontier" On the lips of the Phari.
sees, kingdom meant a political or
ganization and empire. With Jesus II
T..