The Kingdom of God comes not with observation

 

The Mount of Transformation

The Kingdom of God comes not with observation

Even though we see the world descending into evil and darkness, the last few days I was reminded of something Yeshua said when He was interrogated by religious leaders as to when the Kingdom of God would come.
Remember, the children of Israel had a God-given prophetic expectation of a great deliverance for Israel that would come via their Messiah. He would vanquish all of their enemies and be seated as the King of Israel to reign over His people. Even so, when He entered the world just as we in many other examples in scripture, only a few actually discern great spiritual change is underway.
In Israel’s case, God had determined from long past (DT 29:4, IS 44:18) that Israel would not be able to recognize their Messiah-King. He veiled their eyes in order to bring all the nations into His Salvation, as He would eventually set Israel aside for a season. Then He would return to restore them in the fullness of time. (Acts 9:18-20, Isaiah 66:9-13)This was His plan and a demonstration to Israel and to us that there is “none righteous, no not one.” (Romans 3:10)
When the God-Fathered human baby was born in Bethlehem, few took notice of the great spiritual event unfolding.  Life went on exactly as before His birth. A few wise men in a far away country saw His star and discerned He was coming and set out seeking Him. The lowly Israeli shepherds in the fields with their flocks saw and heard an angelic choir heralding His birth on earth. No one else in Bethlehem took notice. Across the world none saw anything that made them think, ‘Everything for people in all nations just took a turn for the better.’
The Salvation of mankind just broke through a human womb —a tiny baby, the human offspring of the God who is Spirit. (John 4:24) Yeshua conceived in flesh to be like us and dwell among us. A Jewish mother conceived a Son would ultimately become God’s own Sacrificial Lamb of a Passover. This was to open salvation beyond the people of Israel to all the nations, and in order that all who would receive His sacrifice could be saved and transformed inwardly to the same likeness as Yeshua would demonstrate: righteousness only available by the indwelling of His Holy Spirit dwelling in us.
Fewer than few took notice of the monumental spiritual change in the world. The natural man does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God…because they are spiritually discerned. Then when Yeshua was nailed to the Cross as the Lamb slain "foreordained before the foundation of the world" to be God's own sacrifice for the sins of mankind, again few in the world took notice. Even in Jerusalem, among those who watched what was physically happening to Him, there was little understanding how the world just shifted again into a new spiritual day. Though He told his close disciples preparing them for what was coming, even they did not realize how everything changed radically again in the spiritual realm.
It was not until He appeared to them after He resurrected that they began to understand, and it was not until the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Shavuot/Pentecost did they begin to grasp the deeper connections to Him in the Feasts of the LORD God commanded Israel to observe. The Feasts were pictures to ultimately speak to Israel of their Salvation long rejected in the Person of Yeshua. Yeshua as His name means: is “salvation.” God’s once for all Passover Lamb come down from Heaven: “For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.” 1 John 3:8
The works of the devil are easy to see. The sins of the kingdom of satan are observable, seen all over the world. When we look at the increase of lawlessness in the world around us it is ‘in your face’ visible. The righteous observe the kingdom of satan and are as vexed as Lot was.  “For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds.”  (2 Peter 2:8)
The kingdom of satan comes with observation – all the vexing sights are ever before us. As we watch the world grow more evil, infecting even people who profess the LORD. We see believers continuing to be set one against the other and Jewish and Christian believers still unable to fully embrace each other, It is hard to believe the Kingdom of God is coming. We have to see it by faith and discernment because God's word tells us that is God's ultimate plan. Messianic Jews and Christians will become one in Yeshua. Ephesians 2:15
What we consider the whole church, the whole Body of the Lord, may not be coming together – and many may never come into it. Still others are yet to be awakened to what God is doing among us. What God wants from us some are not going to be willing to give over to Him, but the Kingdom of God is coming and those who discern it are entering into it. Those who are not entering into it, cannot discern the spiritual change of season. The prophets of old described this scenario of when the kingdom of Heaven would begin to blossom in the earth. God said through Isaiah 60:1 Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you. 2 For behold, darkness covers the earth, and thick darkness is over the peoples; but the LORD will rise upon you, and His glory will appear over you.
People who are not looking for anything but rising evil will not be able to see how God is producing a transformation in His people right now: those who are willing will begin to shine brighter and brighter. Our righteousness is clothing ourselves in His righteous and it becomes a radiating a glory to people surrounded by darkness. God’s people are lighting the path out of the darkness, so all who seek goodness, mercy and truth can find their way to Him...even in an evil hour.
     Luke 17:20 And when He was interrogated the religious elite (Pharisees), as to when the kingdom of God should come, He answered them and said, The kingdom of God comes not with observation: 21 Nor will people say, ‘Look, here it is,’ or ‘There it is.’ For you see, the kingdom of God is in your midst.”
It is in our midst, some can see it rising, and many cannot. We have to climb the mountain of transformation into His likeness. The Mount of TRANSFORMATION was His and it is ours too. Matthew 17:1 And after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, and brought them up into an high mountain apart, And was transformed before them: and His face did shine as the sun, and His clothing was white as the light.