August 16

SEEING THE KINGDOM

-John 3:3 states, … Jesus answered and said unto him ( Nicodemus ), Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God …

-This scripture verse is one of the most cherished verses in the Bible. It is often quoted and preached, but sadly, it is one of the most misunderstood verses in all of the Bible. It is quoted and read correctly, but it is explained and understood incorrectly. Listen to it again, for it states, … Except a man be born again, HE CANNOT “SEE THE KINGDOM OF GOD” … Now … Let us talk about what all this means.

-The words “born again” mean: to be begotten from above, or to be born from above. They speak of being spiritually awakened by the Spirit of God, or being quickened ( made alive ) to an awareness of the reality and presence of God in your own personal life. The word “see” means: to perceive, understand, or grasp with the mind. Now … Let us attempt to put all of this together.

-Except a man be born again ( have a spiritual awakening that is caused by the very Spirit of God Himself, resulting in being spiritually born from above ), he cannot see ( perceive, understand, or grasp with his mind ) the Kingdom ( the sovereign rule ) of God. This is the very reason that the Pharisees could not see ( perceive ) that the Kingdom ( the sovereign rule ) of God was within them. They were thinking and looking in the physical realm for the Kingdom of God. This is why Jesus made the statement, … The Kingdom of God does not come with observation: …

-The Kingdom of God is in every man, but he cannot see the Kingdom until he is born again to understand that God’s seat of authority to rule and reign is within the heart of man. Jesus did not say that after being born again that we would die and go to the Kingdom, but rather, that we would "SEE" ( "PERCEIVE" ) the Kingdom, and that the Kingdom would come to earth. The Kingdom is indeed coming to earth in the hearts of those that can …

-SEE ( PERCEIVE )!-