Tim Maas Supporter Retired Quality Assurance Specialist with the U.S. Army

Even though Jesus' words could (in the sense noted in the question) be regarded as pertaining to His physical presence (as God incarnate) among His listeners at that time, I would say that, in my opinion, the wording in the cited verse is more accurately rendered in English (as multiple translations do on the biblehub.com website) as "the kingdom of God is within you." 

To me, this agrees more closely with the idea expressed by Jesus in the same passage that God's kingdom would not come with outwardly visible signs, so that it would be possible to say, "Here it is" or "There it is", but instead by an intangible inward transformation affecting the heart (in the sense of the seat of emotions) and mind (as the seat of thought) of each individual believer.

April 23 2021 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Daniel Veler Supporter

Your question: In what way was the kingdom of God "in [their] midst"? (Luke 17:20–21)

This is the verse you are referring to:

Luke 17:20: And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, "The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, 'Lo here!' Or, 'Lo there!' For, behold, the kingdom of God is within you."

There are several verses written explaining this. If you look for all the scriptures that talk about the kingdom of God, you will come to understand that the kingdom of God resides in you the moment you are saved. The apostle wrote the following scripture that perfectly describes the kingdom of God:

Romans 14:17: For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men.

Knowing that you enter the kingdom of God upon receiving salvation will also bring other scriptures to your understanding.

Christ said the following:

Mark 9:43: And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.

What Christ is conveying to us is that if there’s anything in your life that prevents you from accepting Him, you must eliminate it. It’s better to enter the kingdom of God with physical limitations than to cling to what hinders your connection with God and face eternal damnation.

If the kingdom of God doesn’t reside within you before your death, you won’t be able to enter it after your passing.

June 20 2026 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report