It says in the bible (Luke 17-20) and in the Nag Hammadi, Gospel of Thomas, That "It will not come with observation, you will not say lo here, or lo there, for the Kingdom is within you". So how come everyone keeps saying that heaven is a "place", when the bible clearly states otherwise?
2006-07-24 17:36:33 · 23 answers · asked by Jedi Baptist 4 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Heaven is the expanse over the earth in Gen. 1:8
Heaven is the location of the stars in Gen. 1:14
Heaven is used as a substitute for the name of God Lk. 15:18,21;Jhn. 3:27
At the end of time a new heaven will be created to surround the new earth. This new heaven will be the place of God's perfect presence (Is. 65:17;66:22;Rev.21:1) Then there will be a literal fulfillment of heaven on earth.
+T+
2006-07-24 17:55:39 · answer #1 · answered by Pashur 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You must put all the scriptures together to get the right answer. It clearly teaches that Gods Kingdom is real & will be setup on earth. In Luke 17:20 Christ was in their midst. He will be the King of Kings in that Kingdom a better translation would be "among you" Go back & read this, for it is the Pharsiees that Jesus is talking to & these are the ones He called hyprocripts! Read Luke 12:1 Do you think this is the kind of people who have Gods Spirit within them? Go back to Luke 17. & read starting in verse 22 where He starts talking to His disciples. Gods Kingdom isn't here yet but Gods true church is preparing for the Kingdom to come! True christians will be kings & preists in that Kingdom. Also in the Lords prayer why would Jesus tell us to pray "thy Kingdom come " if it were already here?
2006-07-24 18:04:29 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
You must know there is a difference between natural spiritual and when you deal in the spirit..there are many comparisons ...like Jesus said .....how would I liken the kingdom of heaven...and He would begin to compare it to something in the natural..to help bring understanding of the spiritual principle...I will use the same verse you used and show you that yes the kingdom is within you but....the two must come together....the kingdom of Our lord and the kingdom within you
Revelations 11:15.And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.
You see this is the gathering of the Christians..in which the kingdom within you becomes the kingdom of the Lord..he gathers them into his presence...and that is the kingdom of God ..where he is ...
Jesus said...John 14:3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.Amen..and Amen..God bless
2006-07-24 18:01:19 · answer #3 · answered by soldier612 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Jesus spoke of the "kingdom" a lot. A study of each occurrence in its context would help you see that Jesus used this term in a few different ways. Basically the context determines how Jesus was using the term from speech to speech.
One type of kingdom is equated with Heaven. This seems to be the one you're most familiar with. Sometimes, when Jesus speaks of the kingdom, one could substitute the word "Heaven," and it would make perfect sense. Heaven is like a kingdom in which God rules over the other kingdoms from His throne in Heaven.
Another type of kingdom is an earthly type (as in your Lukan reference). It's a matter of God's reigning through His people on the earth. It's not a military or political rule. It's a way that God reaches out to the world through His children. One might substitute the word "salvation" or "spirit" in these passages to understand this concept better.
We do the same thing in English. The word "bat," for example could mean a flying rodent, a wooden object used in baseball, or the act of hitting something. Context determines which meaning "bat" has from occurrence to occurrence. It's not a secret code or mystery. It's just the way language is. Most English words have to have a variety of meanings, or else we'd run out of words to use.
2006-07-24 17:54:10 · answer #4 · answered by chdoctor 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
We are all part of the kingdom. Jesus was trying to tell the disciples that the kingdom was not something that they should wait for. They had asked him when the kingdom would come and he wanted them to know that it was already on the earth, among them and all around them. Christ's kingdom is not a place, it is Christ within and around us that gives us peace and strength for the journey. We share this with others by who we are and what we do. We are the body of Christ on this earth. "Love thy neighbor," "Turn the other cheek," and "When you have done it unto the least of these, you have done it unto me," are not just words. Jesus really meant these things. You can "witness" to people with words until you are hoarse and your tongue aches, but if you do not live his message and you do not love all people as you love yourself then your words fall on deaf ears. If you talk the talk but don't walk the walk, you damage the message. This is what the kingdom is all about. Heaven is only part of the kingdom, but Jesus doesn't want us to sit around waiting, he wants us out there working.
2006-07-24 17:51:14 · answer #5 · answered by Ereshkigal 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I personally don't believe in heaven or hell as in what we are taught in the bible or church. I do believe that heaven is a place on earth as mother earth has supplied us with every thing we need in order to survive. Hell I believe is what we create on earth our selves such as war and other unfortunate events currently taking place.
How ever I like to look at life in a positive manner no matter what life throws my way good and bad for me I am living in heaven and everything I experience has a valuable lesson which I must learn so I can proceed into the afterlife and further develop spiritually.
2006-07-24 17:56:04 · answer #6 · answered by vampire_crazy2003 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Must be a metaphor of some kind. Doesn't make too much sense literally. To think of it from a scientific perspective, there is much beauty and complexity on the microscopic scale, which we have yet to explore, just as others believe that the heavens in the sky are within our reach.
2006-07-24 17:43:35 · answer #7 · answered by presidentrichardnixon 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Maybe he means that each of us contains the means to enter Heaven within us? I don't really know. Much of the Bible can be interpreted in many different ways - it is deliberately vague in some places like horoscope predictions. In any case, I'm an atheist so I don't believe any of it means anything.
2006-07-24 17:43:56 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Heaven is where ever God is...very simple. Kingdom is another word for Domain. So everything that is part of God's creation is within His Domain and thus part of his Kingdom as is heaven...but you have made an extrapolation which is not therein written. Heaven is part of God's Kingdom but not all of God's Kingdom is Heaven...it is written that flesh and blood cannot inhabit Heaven.
2006-07-24 17:52:19 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
when Jesus died he sent the Comforter(Holy Spirit) to come and live inside believers - that's the meaning ---
(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.)
2006-07-24 17:42:54 · answer #10 · answered by jaimestar64cross 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋