1. One of the most important expressions found in the Bible is the "kingdom of God" (Luke 17:20). It is a very familiar expression but I wonder how many people could properly define it.
2. Definition: The kingdom of God embraces all created intelligences, both men and angels, both in heaven and on earth, who are willingly subject to God and are thus in fellowship with Him.
3. There is much confusion over this term today, and there was much confusion in Jesus’ day also. The Pharisees wanted to know when the kingdom would come (17:20).
4. The context: The Jews were under Roman bondage. They were looking for a great leader, another Moses who would deliver them from their oppression. When Jesus arrived on the scene, many of His countrymen hoped He would be their great deliverer (cf. John 6:15).
5. Remember, we saw in Luke 17:11 that our Lord was heading toward Jerusalem. This increased the excitement, for many Jews were hoping that our Lord would enter Jerusalem and establish His kingdom (Luke 19:11,28,38).
6. Our Lord was heading to Jerusalem, not to be crowned King but to be crucified on a cross (Luke 19:41,42). But although He was not crowned King, He was still King nevertheless (Luke 23:1-3).
7. The kingdom of God is an important Bible teaching. It would be difficult to preach a detailed message in the time we have this Lord’s Day. But I will try to bring out three aspects of the kingdom of God today.

I. THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS SPIRITUAL.

1. When some people hear statements like this they automatically assume that if the kingdom of God is spiritual then it cannot be physical. That is a false assumption. The kingdom of God is both spiritual and physical (cf. John 18:33-40).
2. So when Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world" (John 18:36), He was saying that the kingdom of God is spiritual. It was something an unsaved man like Pontius Pilate could not comprehend. It was something the religious leaders of Israel could not understand.
3. Our Lord said to Nicodemus, "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God" (John 3:3). If the kingdom of God was not physical, no one could see it. But those of us who are born again WILL SEE IT.
4. Jesus said to the Pharisees, "The kingdom of God cometh not with observation" (Luke 17:20). The word "observation" could mean "outward show" (margin).
5. The great expositor, G. Campbell Morgan, taught that the idea here is that those (such as the Pharisees) who observe or watch with hostility will not be able to see the kingdom of God.
6. The Pharisees only had a political concept of the kingdom of God. They could not understand that the kingdom of God was spiritual. How could they? They were spiritually blind. They were not born again (cf. John 3:1-8).
7. The unregenerate mind cannot comprehend the kingdom of God because the kingdom of God is spiritual (Romans 14:17). The Scofield Bible says, "The kingdom of God ‘comes not with outward show,’ but is chiefly that which is inward and spiritual."
8. Unsaved people cannot enter the kingdom of God because they do not appreciate spiritual things (I Cor.2:14).
9. Unfortunately, even many Christians cannot appreciate spiritual things because they are worldly and carnal (I Cor.3:1-3).
10. We have church people ask, "Is it OK to watch this movie or that TV show or listen to this worldly music? Is it OK for me to wear these clothes or go to this place?" Here is a simple principle: If you have to ask don’t do it! A preacher was getting dressed and he asked his wife if his shirt was clean or dirty. She said, ‘If you have to ask, it is probably dirty."
11. When you were spiritual you do not have to ask, "Is this OK?" or "Is that OK?" You will know what to do (cf. Matt.6:33).
12. Luke 17:21 has been misinterpreted by many. Worldly and liberal churches teach that we are all God’s children and the kingdom of God is "within" us all. Any good Greek lexicon or Bible dictionary will tell you the word means "among you" or "in the midst of you" (margin).
13. Jesus is the King. The Pharisees rejected Him as their King and as their Messiah. He was telling them, "You are asking about when the kingdom of God should come, and the King is right here among you, or in the midst of you."
14. Some people teach the kingdom of God is in our hearts, but our Lord was certainly was not saying the kingdom of God was in the hearts of these wicked false teachers. He had already told them they were vipers and children of the devil.

II. THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS PHYSICAL.

1. Not only is the kingdom of God spiritual, it is also physical. It is interesting to note that when our Lord gets ready to teach about the physical aspect of the kingdom, He is speaking directly to His disciples (17:22-24).
2. If unsaved religious hypocrites cannot understand that the kingdom is spiritual, why bother giving them the physical details? I am not going to get into a deep discussion on Bible prophecy with an unconverted minister. First, I will give him the Gospel.
3. Some people have imagined that the disciples did not understand the kingdom of God. This is not true, though it is probable that our Lord taught them more about the kingdom after His resurrection than He did before (cf. Acts 1:1-3).
4. What the disciples did not know was the timing of the kingdom of God (Acts 1:6,7). And so it is today. We eagerly await the second coming of our Lord but we know not the day nor the hour.
5. This world can be tough. It is full of grief and woe. But there is a day coming when the Lord Jesus Christ will set up His kingdom and things will be much different then (cf. Isa.11:6-9). The devil will be bound for a thousand years and the Lord Jesus Christ will reign over the earth (Psalm 2).

III. THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS A TIME OF JUDGMENT.

1. I think the main reason people do not want to think about the second coming of Christ and the kingdom of God is because deep down they know their sins must be judged (Luke 17:25-30).
2. This passage is describing the events preceding the kingdom, not the rapture – "the one shall be taken (in judgment), and the other shall be left (to enter the kingdom)" (17:34-36).
3. The fact that it is nighttime in verse 34, and daytime in verses 35,36 indicates that the whole world will be judged instantly when the Lord returns.
4. The people in Noah’s day were very wicked and so God had to destroy them (Luke 17:26,27; Gen.6:5-7).
5. The people in Lot’s day were very wicked – Genesis 13:13 says "the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly."
6. By the way, we are certainly living in days similar to the days of Lot!
7. And most people today are just like Lot’s wife – worldly unbelievers who will be judged suddenly and quickly when the Lord returns to establish His kingdom (Luke 17:32).
8. Lot’s wife is like the modern American today – sensual, self-centered, complacent, entangled in worldly pleasures.
9. Lot’s wife did not believe the warnings she had heard (Gen.19:12-17,24-26). Likewise, most people today do not believe the many warnings in the Bible – warnings about the second coming of Christ, warnings about the battle of Armageddon, warnings about hell, etc. People today are like Lot’s wife (Luke 17:32).
10. There are many lessons to be learned from the flood in Noah’s day, and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. In both cases, the worldly people were caught unexpectedly as they engaged in their everyday activities of eating and drinking, marrying, buying and selling.
11. There is nothing wrong with eating and drinking, buying and selling, etc. These things are perfectly right in themselves, but it is wrong is that most people are so occupied with buying and selling, eating and drinking that they have no time for God.
12. Both Noah and Lot lived in days of religious and moral declension, much like today. Lawlessness and violence were on the increase. This world is ripe for the judgment of God. If you know your Bible you know the days of Noah and the days of Lot are soon on us.

CONCLUSION:

1. Our text began with the Pharisees asking, "when?" (Luke 17:20), and it ends with the disciples asking "Where?" (17:37). It is a good question – "When, Lord?"
2. If you do not know the Bible very well, our Lord’s answer might be hard to understand. But if you know the book of Revelation, you can understand it well enough (Rev.19:11-21).
3. Unsaved friend: unless you repent, this is your future (Rev.19:18b).