The Elbert County tribune., 1914-06-05


God is within you" Luke 17:21.
!. The Kingdom Present, w. 20, 21.
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 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 w. 21) margin.
Their question was filppant one, one
of unbelief, and to 1t Jesus makes
Enthusiastically 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 therey
Its coming was not to be spectacular,
arresting the attention of some who
in turn brought 1t to the attention of
others. The authorized rendering
within you" does not imply that the
kingdom already existed in the indi-
vidual lives of his questioners. Sub
sequent teaching of Jesus shows that
he here refers to another and a final
coming of the kingdom, at the time of
the final coming of the son of man.
What he desired to teach these Phari-
sees was that the kingdom of which
they spoke had already appeared due
to the fact of his presence in their
midst. The carping Pharisees with
draw and Jesus speaks openly to his
disciples Of the days that will come,
a time OF persecution when they will
long for comfort
Prophecy Fulfilled.
II. The Visible Son Of Man, w.
22-24. The kingdom in its outward
form was rejected by the Jews, John
1926, 81 In its spiritual form 1t is
now in the hearts of believers (Rom.
14:17) but he who was rejected with
contempt will one day be sought after,
though in vain, Matt. 2S:3739. 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 a 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." 80 shall the son OF man be
In his day" This instruction Jesus
gives to his disciples. Men shall
search for him, 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 1t.
Finallty 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 it be in the day that the
ton of man Is revealed V. 80. This
refers to the fnality 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
ualem; the coptext to us clearly dis
| proves any such Interpretation.
Verses 80 and 3S must be taken to-
gether.
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. 1t is coming constantly
between the two advents Remember
his reading of Isaiah's prophecy. Luke
4:1S, 10; CT. lisa. 61.1-9 In his first
advent he did come to preach the ac-
ceptable year. the year of grace. That
day is still with us. In his second
advent he win proclaim the day of the
vengeance of God. He will establish
the kingdom. will build the waste
places and raise desolations. Today
the kingdom of God is among us in
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, for
the kingdom is in your midst" To
his disciples he said: ''They shall say
p there! 10 here! go not away nor
follow them" We cannot localize the
kingdom. On an ancient Syrian frag-