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Mat 12:28, Luk 11:20 "But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. This seems present tense to me...present at the time Jesus spoke it, not referring 2000 plus years in the future.

The "Kingdom of God" spoken of in this Scripture is not a literal, physical "Kingdom" that God put man in charge of establishing and administering. The "Kingdom of God", as Jesus talked about it and as it pertains to this present age, is the "Kingdom" to which all of those belong who have accepted Christ as their Savior and yielded their lives to Him. They are part of His "Kingdom"; which is the reality that will exist for all eternity after this present age is finished and Jesus reclaims His creation, lifts the curse which was put on it after the Fall, and restores it to it's original sinless splendor.

That is the "Kingdom" He is speaking of here. He is not telling us that He will have a "Kingdom" here on earth, before the Millennial Kingdom, that men will be responsible for running. That's not what these verses are about.

Luk 17:21 ...nor will they say, 'Look, here it is!' or, 'There it is!' For behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst." "In your midst" means "within you"... this seems not to be referring to the 2000 plus years future Millenial kingdom.

The idea that the Kingdom of God is "within" all human beings is an dangerously erroneous understanding of this passage.

Here is the relevant Word, from the KJV and the RSV -- the KJV is the best known version from which such an idea can be dragged from the Word of the Lord:

Luke 17 (KJV)

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.

Luke.17 (RSV)

Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God was coming, he answered them, The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed; ] nor will they say, `Lo, here it is!' or `There!' for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.

The phrase that captures our interest is the last one,

. . . the kingdom of God is within you. (KJV)

But from the RSV:

the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.

There are other versions. For example,

For the Kingdom of God is among you. (NLT)

The FNT has the same:

For behold the kingdom of God is among you.

As you can observe, the KJV expresses an idea that differs from either the RSV, the NLT or the FNT. Which of these more accurately renders the Word of Jesus?

The Greek word that he uttered is entos. If one follows the only other use of this word by Jesus, Matt. 23:36, we will have to select the KJV:

Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.

It would not make sense to read, "among the cup and the platter" because both are singular nouns. He must mean "within the cup and the platter." However, in the case of Luke 17:21, the pronoun that follows entos is plural. If Matthew 23:16 were to read "cups and platters," among or in the midst of would make as make as much sense as within.

So it is with Luke 17:21; the "you" following entos in the Greek is plural. This, on observation, is confirmed in any case by the fact that the context has him answering Pharisees (plural) -- also designated them. But one must also observe that within also works with the plural. It is correct usage to say, within the cups and the platters. That also makes sense.

It has been determined that either within, among, or, in the midst of are suited to this statement by the Lord. Did the Lord tell them (and us) that the kingdom was within them, among them, or in the midst of them?

There is a way to determine which of these he means, without a doubt. We need only examine the persons being addressed to determine which is suited to them. He is addressing the Pharisees, so the question we must ask is: does Jesus mean for us to understand that the kingdom of God is within (inside of) the Pharisees? If not, then he must mean that it is among or in the midst of them. We further stipulate here, to avoid any misunderstanding, that Jesus refers in these texts to the individual human heart.

Just recall that he is speaking to the Pharisees in Luke 17:21 and to none other. Now, back up in that gospel to read the Lord's evaluation of what was in their hearts. Remember, this is the very same persons, the Pharisees, which he addresses in Luke 17:21. The narrative places this earlier encounter shortly before the verse we are examining. We find this in Luke 16:14,15 (FNT):

Now the Pharisees being philia-lovers of money heard all these things, and were ridiculing him. And he said to them: You are those justifying yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts, for the thing exalted among men is an abomination before God.

Can the kingdom of God reside in those hearts? God knows their hearts, and he finds only abomination there.

There is more. We have this from Luke 11:39(FNT):

So the Lord said to him: Now you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but the inside of you is full of robbery and wickedness.

Conclusion: When Jesus addressed the Pharisees, he was not addressing people who had any relation with the kingdom of God. He said of them, first,

Inside you are full of extortion and wickedness.

Then, later:

God knows your hearts; for what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God.

Now, go back to his only other use of entos as presented above (Matt. 23:26):

Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within (entos) the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.

It is simple; the only things inside or within (entos) the Pharisees were:

extortion and wickedness

abomination in the sight of God.

It can be confidentially stated that this version, the kingdom of God is within you (KJV), is erroneous. It plants an evil seed -- a seed that has sprung up and multiplied throughout Christendom where so many believe that the kingdom is within the hearts of those Pharisees -- and themselves.

The kingdom was not in those Pharisees, but were they in the kingdom?

Matt. 5:20 (FNT)

For I say to you that unless your justice abounds more than that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall not enter into the kingdom of the heavens.

These persons, the Pharisees, were not in the kingdom, not was the kingdom in them! They had no relation to the kingdom of God.

There is but one Relation to the Kingdom.

Jesus never speaks of the kingdom being inside of anyone. That is vitally significant, because it reveals something about the nature of the kingdom that was the focus of his gospel, the Gospel of the Kingdom. So, did he speak of others entering into the kingdom? Many times!

Matt. 5 (FNT)

For I say to you that unless your justice abounds more than that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall not enter into the kingdom of the heavens.

Matt. 7 (FNT)

Not everyone saying to me: Lord Lord will enter into the kingdom of the heavens, but the one doing the will of my father who is in the heavens.

Matt. 18 (FNT)

Truly I say to you, unless you turn and become as the child, you will not enter into the kingdom of the heavens.

Matt. 19 (FNT):

Truly I say to you that the rich hardly enter into the kingdom of the heavens. But again I say to you it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for the rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

Mark 9 (FNT):

And if your eye stumble you, cast it out, for it is good that one-eyed you enter into the kingdom of God than having two eyes be thrown into Gehenna, . . ..

Mark 10 (FNT):

How difficulty will those having possessions enter into the kingdom of God. But his disciples were being amazed at his words. But Jesus again answering says to them: Children, How difficult it is for those trusting upon possessions to enter into the kingdom of God. It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of the needle than for the rich to enter into the kingdom of God.

Luke 18 (FNT):

How difficulty those having possessions enter into the kingdom of God. For it is easier for a camel to enter through a needle hole than for the rich to enter into the kingdom of God.

John 8 (FNT):

Nicodemus says to him: How is a man able to be born when he is old? Is he able to enter into his mother's womb a second time and be born? 5 Jesus answered: Truly truly I say to you, if someone not be born out of water and spirit, he is not able to enter into the kingdom of God.

It is simple: the kingdom is not inside of anyone. If one has a relation to the kingdom, then that one is inside the kingdom. Prior exposure to false doctrine renders one blind to many aspects of the Word, and Luke 17:21,22 is an excellent example of this blindness in action. A lifetime spent in Christendom, being exposed to the idea of the kingdom being within you, makes it difficult to see the fallacy of it.

(As a side note: Jesus says prior to this, "the kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed" - how do you reconcile this?)

Luke 17:20-37 is the first discourse on the end of the age; 21:5-38 is the second discourse, the one that matches most of the Matthew and Mark texts.

In Luke 17:20-21, Jesus wants it to be unmistakably clear that the kingdom program is inextricably tied to Him.

The first portion of the discourse is a response to the Pharisees. They wanted to know when the kingdom of God is coming. Jesus explains that the kingdom does not come "with signs to be observed, nor will people say, `Here it is,' or `There it is,' because the kingdom of God is in your midst." This reply would seem to suggest the immediacy of the kingdom's presence.

But Jesus challenges that premise. The kingdom does not come "with observation." Jesus argues that the kingdom's coming does not require apocalyptic observation, since that was the normal expectation. The initial phase of the kingdom does not come that way.

Why? Because "the kingdom of God is in your midst." This phrase is one of the most discussed in Luke's Gospel. It is one of the few statements of Jesus that puts the kingdom in the present. In fact, so unprecedented is this statement that some argue the idea is really futuristic. The idea is, The kingdom is as good as present, since I am here. You need not miss it when it comes.

But a futuristic meaning is unlikely in this particular passage taken in it's true context. The verb that normally takes a futuristic present is erchomai, not eimi, which is the verb in verse 21. Thus Luke's shift of verbs in this context is significant, as is his shift of tenses. Moreover, the verb is placed in an emphatic position in the Greek text. More important, the remark about signs in verses 20-21 is specifically denied if a future sense exists, for Jesus appears to go on and enumerate the signs! It is better to interpret this phrase as referring to the initial coming now with a consummation to come later. Then Jesus' reply is, "You do not need to look for the kingdom in signs, because its King (and so its presence) is right before you. But its display in comprehensive power will come visibly to all one day. You will not need to hunt to find it then."

When Jesus says it is "in your midst," He does not mean in one's heart. Jesus is speaking to Pharisees who have rejected Him. They do not have the kingdom in their hearts. And nowhere else in the New Testament is the kingdom described as an internal entity. He must mean something else here.

There are two possibilities. Jesus could mean "in your grasp or power." The kingdom's presence is related to one's ability to repent. A factor against this view is that it appears to be a nonanswer. To say the kingdom is within your grasp is not to say where it is or how you can get it--at least not very explicitly. In contrast to such vagueness, the second possibility is that the kingdom is "in your midst"--that is, "in your presence." It is present in Jesus, so He and it stand before you. You do not have to look for it, because it is right before your face! This answer is very much like 7:22-23 and 11:20. It also fits the time perspective of 7:28 and 16:16, as well as the explicit declarations of current fulfillment in 4:16-23.

Now some may challenge by arguing that Jesus is saying He is present but the kingdom is not. But that approach makes no sense here. Why would Jesus mention His personal presence in distinction from the kingdom's and then use an expression that mentions the kingdom? The whole point is to discuss the kingdom, not just Him. The Pharisees know Jesus is present, and they know He claims to bring the time of fulfillment, so they are asking where the kingdom is. Jesus' reply is that the kingdom program comes with him, even in the present.

The program of God's reclamation of creation starts and stops with Jesus. Signs are not necessary for the kingdom which consists of believers in Him because Jesus is the sign. As the entire discourse shows, the kingdom has an "already-not yet" character. Luke 1:67-79, Acts 2:25-36, Romans 1:2-4 with 16:25-27, 1 Corinthians 15:25, Ephesians 1:18-23, Colossians 1:12-14, Hebrews 1:5-13, 1 Peter 2:4-10 and Revelation 1:6-8 share this two-phased kingdom perspective. Efforts to tie the presence-of-the-kingdom language of the New Testament to the ongoing presence of God's universal kingdom fail, since the context of these kingdom texts is an announcement of the arrival of something that previously was missing.

So, as we see from the Scripture in context, we know that Jesus was saying that He is the Kingdom; that there was no need for signs at that time to see the Kingdom. The Kingdom was right in front of them.

Jhn 12:31 "Now judgment is upon this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. "NOW" means "now" - check the context. Reconcile this with the exclusively 2000 plus years in the future view of the kingdom.

What is the judgment of this world which Jesus says is at hand? Compare 3:19-21. As it is the response of men to the Light which has come into the world that provokes judgment, so the actions of men in crucifying him who was that Light constitute the judgment of this world. What they are about to do to him will confirm their judgment.

And "now the ruler of this world will be cast out", taken in proper context, refers to Satan’s loss of authority over this world. This is in principle rather than in immediate fact, since 1 John 5:19 states that the whole world still lies in the power of the evil one. In an absolute sense the reference is proleptic. The coming of Jesus’ hour (his crucifixion, death, resurrection, and exaltation to the Father) marks the end of Satan’s domain and brings about his defeat, even though that defeat has not been ultimately worked out in history yet and awaits the consummation of the age. The final defeat of Satan will occur at the end of the Millennial Kingdom, when Satan is released from hell for a short time to foment rebellion against Jesus Christ among people living at that time, and then is relegated to hell for all eternity.

Mar 12:34 When Jesus saw that he had answered intelligently, He said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." After that, no one would venture to ask Him any more questions.Does this make sense if Jesus is exclusively talking about a kingdom 2000 plus years in the future?

This verse simply means that the man's answer to Jesus demonstrated that he replied according to the truth of the Gospel of Christ, and that the fact that the man knew the truth of what Christ had been preaching and believed it over the old Law meant that he was close to being in the "Kingdom of God", that is, the Kingdom which includes all those who know Christ as Savior and who know and love and believe His Word and submit themselves to His laws and ordinances, and commandments.

That passage refers to the present incarnation of the "Kingdom of God"; that is, a kingdom not of this world but a kingdom which consists of all those who have accepted Christ's free gift of salvation.

Mar 9:1 And Jesus was saying to them, "Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power." You've got to get into some creative interpretation to disregard this one, but I think the language of Jesus is plainspoken here.

Now let's put that verse in context so we can see what it really is all about:

1And Jesus was saying to them, "Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power."

Six days later, Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John, and brought them up on a high mountain by themselves. And He was transfigured before them;

and His garments became radiant and exceedingly white, as no launderer on earth can whiten them.

Elijah appeared to them along with Moses; and they were talking with Jesus.

Peter said to Jesus, "Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three tabernacles, one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah."

For he did not know what to answer; for they became terrified.

Then a cloud formed, overshadowing them, and a voice came out of the cloud, "This is My beloved Son, listen to Him!"

So, yes, the language of Jesus was plainspoken and the people to whom He was speaking did see the literal Kingdom of Heaven at Jesus' transfiguration. The transfiguration was what Jesus was talking about in this passage, and the passage was fulfilled when the disciples who were with Him witnessed His personal appearance being changed into a glorified form, and His clothing become dazzling white. Moses and Elijah, who had died thousands of years before and were already in Heaven, appeared and talked with Jesus about His death that would soon take place.

The purpose of the transfiguration of Christ into at least a part of His heavenly glory was so that the “inner circle” of His disciples could gain a greater understanding of who Jesus was. Christ underwent a dramatic change in appearance in order that the disciples could behold Him in His glory. The disciples, who had only known Him in His human body, now had a greater realization of the deity of Christ, though they could not fully comprehend it. That gave them the reassurance they needed after hearing the shocking news of His coming death.

Jhn 18:37 Therefore Pilate said to Him, "So You are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say correctly that I am a king..." Jesus says that He IS a king. Earlier He described, as you pointed out, a kingdom that is not of this world, not of this realm. I see no inconsistency with Jesus' "not of this realm" kingdom existing at the time He was questioned - in fact that is what He said and the way Pilate appeared to understood it.

There is no inconsistency. Pilate questioned Jesus as to whether He was a King, and Jesus replied that, indeed, He is a King.

And yes, Jesus said that His kingdom is "not of this world", and there is nothing in Scripture to indicate that that statement changed at any moment in time. Jesus' kingdom consists of those who have chosen to become part of His kingdom through salvation and acceptance of Him as Savior, and the future earthly kingdom, which Jesus Himself will establish, which will last for 1000 years.

I don't claim to know all about the kingdom of God, but, I see the scriptures indicating more about the matter than you seem to accept. Tell me this, are you in Satan's kingdom now or are you presently in the kingdom of God?

But every one of the Scriptures you have posted as some sort of validation of your belief that Christians are supposed to govern over people in this present age have a completely opposite meaning to what you have assigned them. None of the Scriptures you have quoted give even the slightest hint that God wants Christians to infiltrate the governments of fallen men, of which He has no part, and which are in the process of collapsing, and rule over people.

Am I part of Satan's kingdom or Christ's kingdom? Since I know Christ as my Savior, and since I have turned my life over to Him and accept His lordship over my will and my life, I am most assuredly a part of Christ's kingdom.

Also, I am more perplexed than ever as to how you responded to the inquiry regarding Matthew 20:25. You wrote "The concept of "governing being serving" is not anything that was ever taught by Christ. That's just a fact. Here is the scripture again:

But Jesus called them to Himself and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them.

Mat 20:26 It is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant,..

Clearly Jesus is addressing the subject in the context of James and John wanting to sit with Jesus in His kingdom at His right and left. Apparently Jesus thought they were talking about ruling over others and exercising authority (governing) others, for, He brought up the way in which the Gentiles ruled over others. Then He spoke about serving as being the way to rank and greatness.

And, yet again, you attempted to use that Scripture to justify your belief that Jesus desires Christians to go into government and rule over people and I pointed out that this passage, along with all the others you posted, cannot even remotely be read to mean that Christ wants Christians to rule over other people. These verses are about leaders becoming servants, not for the purpose of achieving "greatness" in this life, which will not happen, but for the purpose of being counted as "great" in the Kingdom to come - after this world as we know it presently has passed away.

Also, I do not think this is principally an endorsement by Jesus for Christians to "take over governments" nor have I ever stated such, even though you continue to act as though I have. But, Jesus does not exclude or prohibit Christians from serving in civil government here as vehemently as you do - in fact He doesn't prohibit it at all.

And, like I said before, it may be God's will for some Christians to work in some capacity in some governmental agency, but nowhere does the Scripture exist that Jesus tells Christians to insert themselves into the government to "change" the government, or "make it better", or any other such nonsense which cannot be justified with any Scripture.

but, Romans 13 speaks of governing authorities who are established by God, referring to public servants as "servants of God" and "ministers of God".

Any person in a man-created government is there because God has allowed that person to rule. All authorities which exist are ordained by God. They may not all be God-honoring authorities, but God is sovereign over their being where they are. He can bring them down if He wills, and He can lift another up if He so desires.

All man-made governments are temporal, and are subject to the purposes of God, even if they don't know it and and don't acknowledge it.

Man-made governments are temporary and will all eventually fail and collapse and cease to exist.

What do you mean by salvation? and What is the gospel?

The word “salvation” as it relates to "knowing Christ as Savior" concerns an eternal, spiritual deliverance. When Paul told the Philippian jailer what he must do to be saved, he was referring to the jailer’s eternal destiny (Acts 16:30-31). Jesus equated being saved with entering the kingdom of God (Matthew 19:24-25).

What are we saved from? In the Christian doctrine of salvation, we are saved from “wrath,” that is, from God’s judgment of sin (Romans 5:9; 1 Thessalonians 5:9). Our sin has separated us from God, and the consequence of sin is death (Romans 6:23). Biblical salvation refers to our deliverance from the consequence of sin and therefore involves the removal of sin.

Who does the saving? Only God can remove sin and deliver us from sin’s penalty (2 Timothy 1:9; Titus 3:5).

How does God save? In the Christian doctrine of salvation, God has rescued us through Christ (John 3:17). Specifically, it was Jesus’ death on the cross and subsequent resurrection that achieved our salvation (Romans 5:10; Ephesians 1:7). Scripture is clear that salvation is the gracious, undeserved gift of God (Ephesians 2:5, 8) and is only available through faith in Jesus Christ (Acts 4:12).

How do we receive salvation? We are saved by faith. First, we must hear the gospel—the good news of Jesus’ death and resurrection (Ephesians 1:13). Then, we must believe—fully trust the Lord Jesus (Romans 1:16). This involves repentance, a changing of mind about sin and Christ (Acts 3:19), and calling on the name of the Lord (Romans 10:9-10, 13).

A definition of the Christian doctrine of salvation would be “The deliverance, by the grace of God, from eternal punishment for sin which is granted to those who accept by faith God’s conditions of repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus.” Salvation is available in Jesus alone (John 14:6; Acts 4:12) and is dependent on God alone for provision, assurance, and security.

Christ tells us that no one can enter the Kingdom of Heaven without salvation:

"There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again" (John 3:1-7)

Without salvation through the shed blood of Jesus Christ, we cannot be reconciled to Him, we cannot have a personal relationship with Him, we cannot be seen as guilt-free in the eyes of the Father, and we will spend all eternity separated from Him, suffering the punishment for our sin that Jesus went to the cross to take on Himself so that our faith and belief in the fact that He did suffer the punishment that we deserve and paid our sin debt in full means we can be restored as His children and we can have eternal life, with Him, in His kingdom.

The Gospel is the good news that God saves sinners. Man is by nature sinful and separated from God with no hope of remedying that situation. But God, by His power, provided the means of man’s redemption in the death, burial and resurrection of the Savior, Jesus Christ. The word “gospel” literally means “good news.” But to truly comprehend how good this news is, we must first understand the bad news. As a result of the fall of man in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:6), every part of man—his mind, will, emotions and flesh—have been corrupted by sin. Because of man’s sinful nature, he does not and cannot seek God. He has no desire to come to God and, in fact, his mind is hostile toward God (Romans 8:7). God has declared that man’s sin dooms him to an eternity in hell, separated from God. It is in hell that man pays the penalty of sin against a holy and righteous God. This would be bad news indeed if there were no remedy.

But in the gospel, God, in His mercy, has provided that remedy, a substitute for us—Jesus Christ—who came to pay the penalty for our sin by His sacrifice on the cross. This is the essence of the gospel which Paul preached to the Corinthians. In 1 Corinthians 15:2-4, he explains the three elements of the gospel—the death, burial and resurrection of Christ on our behalf. Our old nature died with Christ on the cross and was buried with Him. Then we were resurrected with Him to a new life (Romans 6:4-8). Paul tells us to “hold firmly” to this true gospel, the only one which saves. Believing in any other gospel is to believe in vain. In Romans 1:16-17, Paul also declares that the true gospel is the “power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes” by which he means that salvation is not achieved by man’s efforts, but by the grace of God through the gift of faith (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Because of the Gospel, through the power of God, those who believe in Christ (Romans 10:9) are not just saved from hell. We are, in fact, given a completely new nature (2 Corinthians 5:17) with a changed heart and a new desire, will, and attitude that are manifested in good works. This is the fruit the Holy Spirit produces in us by His power. Works are never the means of salvation, but they are the proof of it (Ephesians 2:10). Those who are saved by the power of God will always show the evidence of salvation by a changed life.