An Invisible Kingdom and Citizenship
As you learn more concerning the Kingdom and begin to embrace the Kingdom concept, you will learn that it is not about preaching or teaching about Jesus. It is about a King and His Kingdom (government). One day someone will ask you "If the Kingdom of Heaven is here now, why can't we see it? Why isn't there more evidence of it all around us?" The answer is very simple: We can't see the Kingdom of Heaven because it is invisible. So are His citizens. In fact all colonial governments and citizens are invisible.
When I was in junior high school in Brooklyn, New York, I learned much concerning colonies and how they were formed. There were countries like England, France and Spain that discovered other lands with very little, if any, inhabitants at all. From there they established their presence from their home land. They say they discovered it, but how can you discover something, such as land, that is already occupied with other human beings? What these countries or nations did was to send their representatives to that new land to govern them with the laws of their home country, whether it was England, France, Spain or whatever country it was. The people of that country took up the identity and embraced the laws and principles of the ruling country. That country became a colony of the ruling country. Even though the natives of that colony had never been to England, France or Spain, they had become citizens of that ruling country. They dressed, spoke, behaved and lived a lifestyle like their ruling country. In the same way, the fact that the Kingdom of Heaven is invisible does not negate the fact that it has impact. Jesus taught this truth about the Kingdom more than once. On one occasion, He illustrated it this way: Again he said, “To what shall I compare the kingdom of God? It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed [in] with three measures of wheat flour until the whole batch of dough was leavened.” That is how yeast works, slowly but subtly until all the dough feels its influence. Once mixed with the dough, the yeast is invisible but if you think that means there is no impact, try baking bread without it.
People have been debating the nature and timing of the coming of the Kingdom of Heaven for centuries. It was no different in Jesus day. One day He spoke of the invisibility of the Kingdom in response to a question from some of the religious leaders. Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.” The Kingdom of God is invisible. We cannot detect it simply by observation. If the Kingdom of God resides within its citizens, this means that all Kingdom citizens are invisible as well. We bear no physical or outward signs that broadcast this to the world. I am a Kingdom citizen. My wife Arlene is a Kingdom citizen. Our citizenship must become known in other ways.
Luke 13:20-21 Luke 17:20-21
~~W.R. Luchie
www.kingdomcitizens.org
This article may only be reproduced, in print or on the internet, if the author's name and website address are included at the end of the article as originally placed. Thank you
When I was in junior high school in Brooklyn, New York, I learned much concerning colonies and how they were formed. There were countries like England, France and Spain that discovered other lands with very little, if any, inhabitants at all. From there they established their presence from their home land. They say they discovered it, but how can you discover something, such as land, that is already occupied with other human beings? What these countries or nations did was to send their representatives to that new land to govern them with the laws of their home country, whether it was England, France, Spain or whatever country it was. The people of that country took up the identity and embraced the laws and principles of the ruling country. That country became a colony of the ruling country. Even though the natives of that colony had never been to England, France or Spain, they had become citizens of that ruling country. They dressed, spoke, behaved and lived a lifestyle like their ruling country. In the same way, the fact that the Kingdom of Heaven is invisible does not negate the fact that it has impact. Jesus taught this truth about the Kingdom more than once. On one occasion, He illustrated it this way: Again he said, “To what shall I compare the kingdom of God? It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed [in] with three measures of wheat flour until the whole batch of dough was leavened.” That is how yeast works, slowly but subtly until all the dough feels its influence. Once mixed with the dough, the yeast is invisible but if you think that means there is no impact, try baking bread without it.
People have been debating the nature and timing of the coming of the Kingdom of Heaven for centuries. It was no different in Jesus day. One day He spoke of the invisibility of the Kingdom in response to a question from some of the religious leaders. Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.” The Kingdom of God is invisible. We cannot detect it simply by observation. If the Kingdom of God resides within its citizens, this means that all Kingdom citizens are invisible as well. We bear no physical or outward signs that broadcast this to the world. I am a Kingdom citizen. My wife Arlene is a Kingdom citizen. Our citizenship must become known in other ways.
Luke 13:20-21 Luke 17:20-21
~~W.R. Luchie
www.kingdomcitizens.org
This article may only be reproduced, in print or on the internet, if the author's name and website address are included at the end of the article as originally placed. Thank you
