October 21

Matthew 16; Mark 8
Many Christians are looking forward to a time when the Lord’s kingdom will be on earth, with Him reigning for a specified period of time.  However, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”  If we are to take Him at His word, then His kingdom came before the apostles died!  This can be understood if we quit looking for a physical kingdom, fashioned after our human designs.  In the gospel of John, Jesus tells the Samaritan woman that the kingdom is made up of those who worship in spirit and truth, that it’s not about whether we worship in Jerusalem or on some mountain.  His kingdom is a spiritual kingdom.  He is already on the throne.  Christians are already citizens.  The only thing we have yet to experience is the eternal nature of the kingdom.  However, when we pass from this life, we will go on to be with the Lord, experiencing the eternal nature of the kingdom of which we are already a part.