The Arrival of the Kingdom of Heaven, When?

by acadian 12 Replies latest watchtower bible

  • acadian
    acadian

    Kingdom of Heaven, Now or later?

    At

    the Last Supper , Jesus said that He would eat and drink with the apostles in the Kingdom of God:

    And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer: For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves: For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, UNTIL THE KINGDOM OF GOD SHALL COME.

    (Luke 22:15-18). Also see Mark 9:1.

    Then Jesus rose from the dead, and He did "eat" and "drink" with the apostles. Did this act confirmed that the kingdom of God had truly come.

    Jesus saith unto them, Come and dine. And none of the disciples durst ask him, Who art thou? knowing that it was the Lord. Jesus then cometh, and taketh bread, and giveth them, and fish likewise. This is now the third time that Jesus shewed himself to his disciples, after that he was risen from dead. John 21:12-14
    And we are witnesses of all things which he did both in the land of the Jews, and in Jerusalem; whom they slew and hanged on a tree: Him God raised up the third day, and shewed him openly; Not to all the people, but unto witnesses chosen before of God, even to us, who did EAT AND DRINK WITH HIM after he rose from the dead.
    (Acts 10:39-41)

    So, is this Confirmation that the Kingdom of Heaven is already here on earth?

    Any thoughts?

    Acadian

  • garybuss
    garybuss

    "Jehovah's Witnesses have never believed that the Kingdom of God will be on earth."
    (The Watchtower April 1, 1985, p. 30)

  • acadian
    acadian

    Hi Gary,

    "Jehovah's Witnesses have never believed that the Kingdom of God will be on earth."
    (The Watchtower April 1, 1985, p. 30)

    I was kinda asking what anyone thought, not just JW's. (I'll have to read it and see what their spin is) I thought the scriptures were interesting that Jesus said he wouldn't eat or drink again "until the kingdom of God shall come" And "until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God" Then you read in Acts and John that he eats and drinks. Does it appear that the Kingdom arrived 2000 yrs ago? Acadian

  • Narkissos
    Narkissos

    That may well be the Lukan spin on this saying, cf. 9:27; 17:20; 23:42f.

  • moomanchu
    moomanchu

    I think the standard christian belief is the kingdom of God was established in heaven 33ce with the outpouring of the holy spirit, with the earthly reign to begin then with Jesus's second coming.

    Matthew 28: 19,20 ...... All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.....

  • acadian
    acadian

    Hi Narkissos, I like Luke17:20,21 (NIV) 20 Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, "The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, 21 nor will people say, 'Here it is,' or 'There it is,' because the kingdom of God is within you." Lk 20-21 (the message) Jesus, grilled by the Pharisees on when the kingdom of God would come, answered, "The kingdom of God doesn't come by counting the days on the calendar. Nor when someone says, 'Look here!' or, 'There it is!' And why? Because God's kingdom is already among you." Lk 17:20-21 (Amplified Bible) 20 Asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He replied to them by saying, The kingdom of God does not come with signs to be observed or with visible display, 21 Nor will people say, Look! Here [it is]! or, See, [it is] there! For behold, the kingdom of God is within you [in your hearts] and among you [surrounding you]. Thanks! Acadian

  • Santisimo
    Santisimo

    This is merely proof that the New Testament (or the authors of it) are full of contradictions. This is why God could not have been the author of it (unlike the Hebrew scriptures).

  • Star Moore
    Star Moore

    Hi Acadian:

    I do like your point and agree that the kingdom arrived back then, in the sense..of the body of Christ becoming anointed with Holy Spirit. And also Jesus in the transfiguration..

    But, I also think that there is another coming of the kingdom in our day as well, as for the last 2,000 years, christianity has been very dark. It comes again with the 2nd coming of Christ.. At least that's my take so far..

  • jayhawk1
    jayhawk1
  • Kenneson
    Kenneson

    Hi Acadian,

    I find it difficult to think that Jesus was telling the Pharisees that the Kingdom of God was within their hearts. Jesus, as the Rule of God, could be in their midst, however.

    By the way, are you from Acadia (Nova Scotia)? I'm very familiar with the Acadians. Many of them ended up in Louisiana. I used to work as a tour guide at a place called Acadian Village in Lafayette. The Acadians in Louisiana became known as Cajuns; the word was corrupted first by the Creoles, who shortened it to Les Cadiens and later by the Americans, who anglicized it; much in the same way that the word Indians became Injuns.

Share this

Google+
Pinterest
Reddit