The Kingdom of Heaven is within you

[Auggxv]

As long as you continue to think that way, you will never be free. You are creating a duality that does not actually exist, a duality which is at war with itself. St. Paul had a devil of a time with this. There is no separate 'spiritual realm' and 'human realm'; there is only one world, and this is it.

You yourself are that which is the Spirit, playing itself as human, while pretending not to be the Spirit, in the cosmic game of Hide and Seek.

You do not know what you are talking about.
By the way...there is no such thing as freedom.
Everything is intertwined.

 

[12jtartar]

Someone at RF reminded me recently that the Kingdom of Heaven is within

Luke 17:21
King James Bible
Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

That is a beautiful reality to meditate on, but what does it mean? When I think of a Kingdom I think of a civilization. Surely it doesn't mean we have a bunch of Angels, structures, and departed souls living within us does it?

PopeADope,
First, what is the Kingdom, that Jesus was speaking of?? A Kingdom is a government with a King and subjects.
Remember the setting in which Jesus said those words, Luke 17:20,21. A Pharisee asked Jesus when would the Kingdom of God come? Jesus said that it would not be easily seen. Then Jesus said that the Kingdom of God was in their midst. Jesus was telling them that since He was the King of The Kingdom, the Kingdom was in their midst!! Jesus was not saying that The Kingdom was inside them. The Kingdom was certainly NOT within the Scribes or Pharisees. Later many of them did become believers, Acts 6:7.

 

[Windwalker]

PopeADope,
First, what is the Kingdom, that Jesus was speaking of?? A Kingdom is a government with a King and subjects.
Remember the setting in which Jesus said those words, Luke 17:20,21. A Pharisee asked Jesus when would the Kingdom of God come? Jesus said that it would not be easily seen. Then Jesus said that the Kingdom of God was in their midst. Jesus was telling them that since He was the King of The Kingdom, the Kingdom was in their midst!! Jesus was not saying that The Kingdom was inside them. The Kingdom was certainly NOT within the Scribes or Pharisees. Later many of them did become believers, Acts 6:7.

No. "In your midst" is not a supportable translation. The exact language translates only one way, "Inside you". "The kingdom of God is inside you." The Kingdom of God is within You - Luke17:21: Luke 17:21 Research by Ilaria Ramelli - Catholic University Milan (I have the full paper on this, as his link to it is broken)

The Kingdom of God is a metaphor. Even if you believe "in your midst" is the proper translation, it's still a metaphor in how he's using it since clearly there was no other kingdom in place at the time. "It's here, there, everywhere", would be the meaning, assuming you take the Greek entos to mean "midst". Clearly metaphoric in either sense.

 

[lostwanderingsoul]

I am really amazed at how many people think they know exactly what the meaning was of something that was written two thousand years ago and translated into several languages before we see it today. I have trouble understanding something written in English two hundred years ago.

 

[Windwalker]

I am really amazed at how many people think they know exactly what the meaning was of something that was written two thousand years ago and translated into several languages before we see it today. I have trouble understanding something written in English two hundred years ago.

What makes a good mythology are the multiple layers of interpretations one can take from them. This is what good metaphors do. When it comes to translating the words from the original language however, that's a matter of scholarship, such as examining how a word is used in other writings of the day, its contexts, common uses, etc. To say we can't know how to translate words from the original language is not valid. To say the meaning of a phrase such as "the kingdom of God" means one thing only, is also not valid. As a metaphor, it means many things.

 

[lostwanderingsoul]

Also, Jesus said that he spoke in parables so people would NOT understand. So obviously some things are not meant to be completely clear. That is where faith and understamding come together.

 

[Thief]

so...you have read the parables.....and you understand?

I am really amazed at how many people think they know exactly what the meaning was of something that was written two thousand years ago and translated into several languages before we see it today. I have trouble understanding something written in English two hundred years ago.

Also, Jesus said that he spoke in parables so people would NOT understand. So obviously some things are not meant to be completely clear. That is where faith and understamding come together.

I trust that you have some understanding

 

[lostwanderingsoul]

I have less understanding than most people think they have but I have faith that God will reveal what He wants me to know.