The Kingdom of God and the Days of the Son of Man
As His ministry progressed, Jesus was questioned by the Pharisees as to when the kingdom of God would come. They liked the idea of a time of peace and prosperity when the wolf would lie down with the lamb and each of them would sit under their own fig tree in the kingdom of God. But the carpenter from Nazareth Who had become a controversial, itinerant teacher, did not present Himself as the conquering King Who would sit on David's throne.
The Nature of the Spiritual Kingdom
Jesus had already claimed to be Israel's King and had identified Himself as their Messiah through prophetic signs, miracles, teachings, and preaching. The prophet John had identified Him as the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world, but legalism and false perceptions of their coming Saviour blinded the religious leaders to the truth of the gospel of God. In chapter 17, Jesus starts to address their questions on the kingdom in order to correct their false perceptions.
He explained that the kingdom of God would not come by keeping the Law and observing signs. It would come by faith in Him. He warned that they would not be able to discover God's kingdom through their own knowledge, wisdom, clever calculation or mysticism. Neither would they enter the kingdom of God by means of their sight or senses. They would only discover the kingdom of God by coming to a knowledge of Jesus Christ as Lord - Who was sent to save the world from sin and Satan, death and hell - and Who stood in their very midst.
The Days of Noah and the Coming Judgment
Jesus taught His disciples many things that would happen during the dreadful 'Day of the Lord' which would precede His coming, earthly kingdom. In verse 26, He describes the wicked state into which the world will sink as the time for His return draws closer: "Just as it was in the days of Noah," we read, "so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man."
The return of Christ to set up His kingdom will be preceded by a time of unsurpassed wickedness and evil. The days of Noah were written about in Genesis 6 where we read: "Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." One sign of Christ's appearing at the end of the Tribulation will be an unprecedented rise in evil. As the Great Tribulation advances through its pre-determined course, the evil in the world will progressively increase.
Prophetic Timeline and Scripture
Scripture teaches that the earthly kingdom of God will be set up on earth after apostate Israel has been punished in the Day of the Lord - the time of 'Jacob's Trouble'. Believers in this Church dispensation have already entered the spiritual kingdom through faith in Christ. We who believe during this Church age will be raptured before the Great Tribulation and will return with Christ at the end - to set up His kingdom. However, those who do not believe during the Church Age will be left to face the outpouring of God's wrath during seven years of Tribulation.
These truths are found throughout the holy scriptures, including the following books:
Old Testament Books
- Gen, Exo, Lev, Num, Deu, Jos, Jud, Rut, 1Sa, 2Sa, 1Ki, 2Ki, 1Ch, 2Ch, Ezr, Neh, Est, Job, Psa, Pro, Ecc, Son, Isa, Jer, Lam, Eze, Dan, Hos, Joe, Amo, Oba, Jon, Mic, Nah, Hab, Zep, Hag, Zec, Mal
New Testament Books
- Mat, Mar, Luk, Joh, Act, Rom, 1Co, 2Co, Gal, Eph, Phi, Col, 1Th, 2Th, 1Ti, 2Ti, Tit, Phi, Heb, Jam, 1Pe, 2Pe, 1Jo, 2Jo, 3Jo, Jud, Rev