lbaker said:
LOL - well I am a pretty good sized old boy, I guess.
But, obviously the kingdom isn't contained within my physical body. Jesus was speaking about the fact that His kingdom is a spiritual kingdom, and is "within" us spiritually. Note that in your quote Jesus says the kingdom is "of heaven", not of the earth.
Les
The phrase “kingdom of God” appears in 68 verses of the NT and the single word “kingdom” appears 158 times in 150 verses. The majority of the passages on the kingdom can be easily proven by plain reading to be something that is literal and future and we know that it will last a thousand years.
But, there are five main passages in the NT that are used by those who believe that the kingdom of God is simply spiritual and only in the hearts of men rather than a physical, literal, and future kingdom that shall last one thousand years. These passages are: Luke 17:20-21; Romans 14:17; 1 Corinthians 4:20; Colossians 1:13; and Revelation 1:9.
[FONT="]One thing to keep in mind is that these are exceptional passages. A basic rule of Bible interpretation is that if the majority of texts teach one view and there is an apparent exception to the rule that seems to contradict the others, then the proper approach is to consider possible interpretations of that exception that harmonizes with the clearer texts.
This passage in Luke 17 is easily excluded from the list because the more appropriate translation, in almost ever translation and even in the KJV translators' notes is "among you".
So, do we throw out a couple of hundred verses in favor of four, or do we investigate those four to see if they really contradict?
How many contradictions are you willing to accept in Scriptures?
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