I don't think I'm missing the point. I do think that you're not understanding my point. :-) The Kingdom of God IS JESUS. Remember, Jesus told us, “No one comes to the Father except BY ME”. Therefore, to get to the Kingdom of God - you must go through Jesus.
It's certainly true that nobody can come to the FATHER except through Christ:
Jhn 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
And it's true that you can't enter the kingdom unless you come to the father through Christ.
If a person accepts Jesus as their personal Savior, and believes that Jesus is the son of God, that Jesus died for their sins, and was raised from the dead .. and sits at the right hand of the father .. THAT PERSON HAS ALREADY ENTERED INTO THE KINGDOM OF GOD.
Here's either where you veer off or don't understand the kingdom of God. There's two questions: When do Christians enter the kingdom of God and what is the kingdom of God?
1. When do Christian enter the kingdom of God?
1Cr 15:50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.
If you're mortal, flesh and blood, says Paul, you can't inherit the kingdom. When does this happen?
1Cr 15:51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
1Cr 15:52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
1Cr 15:53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal [must] put on immortality.
We get changed, become immortal, at the last trumpet...when Christ returns.
When does Christ say we inherit the kingdom?
Mat 25:31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
Mat 25:32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth [his] sheep from the goats: Mat 25:33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
Mat 25:34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
So Jesus Christ tells us WHEN and Paul agrees with him of course. We inherit the kingdom, enter the kingdom, when Christ returns. There's much more scripture than this that supports it.
Jesus also told the mothers of the deciples that “the Kingdom of God is not low here or low there, IT IS WITHIN.
Actually he was talking to the Pharisees:
Luk 17:20 And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:
Luk 17:21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.
Is it logical that Christ was telling the Pharisees that they had the kingdom of God within them? They wanted to kill him. He called them whitewashed tombs full of corruption. He called them evil. He said their father was the devil. They didn't have the kingdom in their hearts. They didn't have Jesus in their hearts.
So what did Jesus mean "within". A good explanation can be found here. I've excerpted a part:
Luke 17:21 is a text that many do not understand. Therefore, it can be regarded as a “hard saying.” We pick up the account in verse 20: “And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.” What did He mean, “the kingdom of God is within you”?
The Jewish people anticipated a Messiah who would free them from the Roman yoke and restore the kingdom of Israel. They completely misunderstood the reason Christ came. He did not come at that time as the conquering King of kings; He came as the sin-bearer of the world. The Pharisees misunderstood this purpose and so asked the question cited in the above paragraph. We notice Jesus’ answer. He said the Kingdom of God would not come by “observation.” Notice, the marginal rendering is “with outward show.” Keep in mind, the Jews were continually looking for a sign. Jesus told the Pharisees that the Kingdom of God would not come in any physical manner that would allow them to observe its development. Rather, when the Kingdom of God comes, it will be sudden and dramatic (Rev. 11:15).
Then, Jesus made the strange statement: ” . . .the kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:21). What did He mean? Notice again the marginal rendering. The word “within” should be translated “among.” What He was saying was that the Kingdom of God is “among you” now, or “in your midst.” Why did Jesus say this? The answer is that in the Bible the words “king” and “kingdom” are synonymous. Compare Daniel 7, verses 17 and 23. Christ, as the coming King of kings, and the representative of God’s Kingdom, was already among them. But they had no sense of this reality. Christ had no intention of establishing the Kingdom of God during that time, or according to any Jewish ideas. Christ will do that at His second coming. But for present, their king was indeed among them.
If a person accepts Jesus as Savior, they will be someone that Jesus knows .. and the only people who have to worry about not being known by Jesus are THOSE WHO HAVE REJECTED HIM.
True that...
You have missed the point because knowing God is how you become a part of the Kingdom of God - and if you don’t know Jesus .. you cannot see the Kingdom. It’s really that simple. I pray you find that out before you have to stand before Jesus and he says, “I never knew you”.
Thank you for our prayers.
I think what's NOT being taught is that Jesus WILL return and actually setup a world ruling government of God on earth....a KINGDOM OF GOD. It's true that Christ IS the king of Christians and it's true that we have the down payment of his spirit for eternal life which subjects us to his kingship and his power and glory.
BUT the gospel of the kingdom is really about the world to come, that day when Christ will return and claim his own.
Well .. the message of the Gospels is NOW! You said I didn’t answer the question .. but I did .. the problem is that you will not accept my answer.
Since we do not agree .. and you are insistant upon the Kingdom of God being something in the future .. I’m going to end this conversation.
After all .. we’ll all find out fairly soon who is right and who is wrong. We could both be right or wrong.
This conversation is over.
1. When do Christian enter the kingdom of God?
1 Cor. 15:50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.
If you're mortal, flesh and blood, says Paul, you can't inherit the kingdom.
We are not only flesh and blood.
We are also spirit ... and our spiritual lives (which are eternal) ... are reborn when we enter into union with Christ.
We are already a new creation ..."Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things are passed away; behold, new things have come." (2 Corinthians 5:17)We are already a royal priesthood in the kingdom of God.1 Peter 2:5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.
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9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light;
10 Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.