Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1914-06-05
LESSON FOR JUNE 7
COMING OF THE KINGDOM.


LESSON TEXT-Luke T:20-37.
GOLDEN TEXT-"Lo, the Kingdom OF
God is within you.' Luke 17:21.
l. The Kingdom Present, wv. 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 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 ". 2D margin.
Their question was f1ippant one, one
of unbelief, and to it Jesus makes a
Enthusiastically brief, but clear re-
ply, that partook of the nature Of a
rebuke. The kingdom would not
come with trumpets and drum. They
could not say, 10 here! 10 there!"
Its 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 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.
II. The Visible Son of Man, w.
22-24. The kingdom in its outward
form was rejected by the Jews, John
1926, 27. In it's spiritual form it 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. 23:37-39. 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
filled this prophecy When he really
comes there will be sudden publicity
(v. 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, time when he shall
not be present as he then was. After
the false ones will come day of
| revelation when the whole heavens
will reveal him and all will know 1t.
FinaIity of Events.
Ill. 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
food and fire, even so after the same
manner shall it be in the day that the
son of man is revealed" v. 80. This
refers to the finality of events when
the kingdom of God comes by way OF
Judgment. Here Jesus sets his sea-
upon the truthfulness of these two
events which preceded his first ad
vent If 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 80 and 33 must be taken to
gether. The folly of Lots wife turn
ing back is all too apparent, but il
we are to gain true life we must lose
turn our backs upon, worldly life
Attention has been called to the fac
that the word lose" ". 33) is the
one ordinarily translated destroy.
proving that the Bible word "destruc
ton" does not mean annihilation. W.
might we'll call verses "a and 35 tht
account of silent migration" A
his first return there will be somt
strange separations. One taken, an
other left Such separations oftel
have been realized when men accep
Christ; when Christians find them
selves separated from their old com
panions, for his sake, but most of al
twill be when Christ shall burst upol
the world at his second coming. Jesus
reference to the body" ". 30 mean
the dead and corrupt state of thing
and ''the eagles to the instrument
of Judgment.
Summary. Quite emphatically thi
passage is a teaching on the subjec
of the coming of the kingdom of Goo
That kingdom came when Christ cam
in grace. 1t will come when he come
in Judgment. 1t is coming constantl
between the two advents. Remembe
his reading of Isaiah's prophecy, Lux
Alb, 19; CT lisa. 61:1-9. In his frs
advent he did come to preach the az
ceptable year, the year of grace. Tha
day is still with US. In his secon
advent he will proclaim the day of tn
vengeance of God. He will establis
the kingdom, will build the vast
places and raise desolations. Toda
the kingdom of God is among us i
power through the presence of Chris
by the spirit in the living church.
To the Pharisees he said: 'Neithe
shall they say, 10 here. 10 there! fo
the kingdom is in your midst" T
his disciples he said: They shall sa
!, 10 there! 10 here! go not away no
follow them" We cannot localize tn
kingdom. On an ancient Syrian frat
, ment the words of Luke 1888 reat
"and to his kingdom there shall b
no frontier" On the lips Of the Phar
sees, kingdom meant political o.
ganization and empire. With Jesus
means a spiritual realm universal i
extent, a rule of righteousness, an
peace and joy in the holy spirit. Whe
he appears all will know and kno'
that others know. When men sa
that the kingdom of God is to
somewhere and suddenly and perfec