Just like every culture on Earth has a version of religion, they also often include a vision for an ideal or perfect world. It is simply part of human nature to do that. Ours is called the Kingdom of God, Kingdom of Heaven or the Garden of Eden.
“The Kingdom of God is within you,” writes Tolstoy, the title of one of his philosophical non-fiction books. The NIV puts it this way in Luke 17:20-21:
Once, on being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in your midst.”
The Kingdom of God cannot be seen. It must be experienced. In fact, it is already here. It is just that it remains hidden due to our misunderstanding or deliberate rebellion against God.
To make the Kingdom a reality, all we have to do is allow it to manifest itself in the day-to-day decisions and choices we make both individually as well as collectively. We have this tendency to always want to do things our way or to serve our own interests. That is part of human nature. However, together, we can accomplish so much more than simply the sum of what we can do individually. We know it, but often don’t do it. Working together, that is the Spirit of God.
That is the hope we have in Jesus, the promise that when we seek first the Kingdom, then it will become our true, forever home.
Some believe the Kingdom of God will appear as a result of some sort of divine intervention or cataclysmic event. That is not the case. The way it will gradually become reality is when we walk in the footsteps of Jesus - sacrificing, forgiving. When we begin to care more for others than for ourselves, no one will be in need or suffer. That is how you will know that the Kingdom has arrived. All suffering will come to an end.
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