20 And being asked by the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God
cometh, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not
with observation: 21 neither shall they say, Lo, here! or, There!
for lo, the kingdom of God is within you.
22 And he said unto the disciples, The days will come, when ye
shall desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, and ye
shall not see it. 23 And they shall say to you, Lo, there! Lo,
here! go not away, nor follow after _them_: 24 for as the
lightning, when it lighteneth out of the one part under the
heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall the Son
of man be in his day. 25 But first must he suffer many things and
be rejected of this generation. 26 And as it came to pass in the
days of Noah, even so shall it be also in the days of the Son of
man. 27 They ate, they drank, they married, they were given in
marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the
flood came, and destroyed them all. 28 Likewise even as it came to
pass in the days of Lot; they ate, they drank, they bought, they
sold, they planted, they builded; 29 but in the day that Lot went
out from Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and
destroyed them all: 30 after the same manner shall it be in the
day that the Son of man is revealed. 31 In that day, he that shall
be on the housetop, and his goods in the house, let him not go
down to take them away: and let him that is in the field likewise
not return back. 32 Remember Lot’s wife. 33 Whosoever shall seek
to gain his life shall lose it: but whosoever shall lose _his
life_ shall preserve it. 34 I say unto you, In that night there
shall be two men on one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other
shall be left. 35 There shall be two women grinding together; the
one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. 37 And they
answering say unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Where
the body _is_, thither will the eagles also be gathered together.
Either in mere curiosity or with a desire for debate the Pharisees
approached Jesus with a question as to when the Kingdom of God would come.
Jesus replied that it would not come in such manner as they were
expecting, nor would it appear as a visible development of which they
could say, “It is here,” or “there,” for, in the person of the King, it
was already “in the midst” of them and they did not recognize it. Thus
when Jesus said, “The kingdom of God is within you,” he could hardly have
meant that it was in the hearts of the hostile and godless Pharisees; nor
is the familiar and beautiful conception of the Kingdom as “a reign of God
in human hearts” thus expressed in the New Testament. Jesus more probably
meant that in his own person and work the Kingdom was present. The essence
of this Kingdom is always spiritual and consists in “righteousness and
peace and joy.” It is to have, however, a future, visible manifestation at
the appearing of the King. The question as to the time and manner of its
coming is not to be asked either to satisfy mere curiosity or to arouse
controversy; for men of the world, like the Pharisees, the important fact
is that Christ, who is ever a divine and spiritual presence, is to be
accepted as Master and Lord; his service always issues in new and more
blessed life.
To the disciples, who trusted him, it was possible for Jesus to answer
more in detail the question as to the coming of the Kingdom which is to be
inaugurated in splendor on his return. He told them that they must expect
first a period of long delay in which their weary hearts would often yearn
for a single day of the coming glory and that many deceivers would point
to places and times of his appearing. However, when he did appear it would
be with suddenness and unmistakable splendor, like the lightning which in
an instant flashes across the whole heaven.
First, however, this King who will then come to reign must suffer and die;
and the world which has rejected him will not be expecting his return.
When he does reappear the race will be in the same carnal security,
careless and indifferent and absorbed in the usual occupations of life, as
were the men in the time of the Flood or the inhabitants of Sodom in the
day of its doom.
On the contrary, those who are to share the glories of the Kingdom must be
looking for their returning Lord. Their proper attitude of mind is
pictured by a series of acts; one who is on the housetop is not to come
down to secure his goods; one in the field will not return to his house;
they will not look backward, but will go forth eagerly to meet their
Master in whom alone is their safety and their hope.
It will be a time of certain separations even for those most closely
related; for example, two men will be sleeping in the same bed: one will
be taken and the other left; two women will be sharing a common task: one
will be taken and the other left. This word “taken” is the same beautiful
expression found in the Gospel of John, where is recorded Jesus’ promise,
“I ... will receive you unto myself.” It speaks of the peace and joy and
blessedness of those who gladly welcome the coming of the King.
At a question from the disciples as to where such judgment would take
place, our Lord replied that it will be universal; wherever the carcass is
there the vultures will be gathered together; where there is corruption
and sin, there will judgment fall. Yet this judgment will be followed by
the splendor of the Kingdom for which the followers of Christ watch and
pray and labor and wait.