Nothing about the Kingdom of
God is in keeping with the logic and understanding of natural
men. It is impossible that they should ever gain any knowledge
of it apart from the goodness of God in revealing it to them. This is demonstrated quite clearly
as the Lord spoke to the Pharisees who impudently made demands unto
Him to explain it. 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. He plainly told them that the
kingdom of God was already in their midst, but that they could
not observe it. Regardless of how diligently
they might search for it, it was hidden from their view by
their limited carnal understanding of what this kingdom consisted
of and in what manner it was established. Religious men presume
that the kingdom of God is a carnal kingdom. Some look at it as a
future occurrence which will be seen by the real estate that
it will occupy. Most are convinced that it is
a kingdom which can be entered or discovered by their adherence
to certain principles, their acts of faithfulness and devotion,
and their cooperation with God in securing unto themselves an
interest therein. The latter is demonstrated in
the minds of some by defining what is necessary for a man to
believe in order to attain it, and in the minds of others by
the measured obedience which they might produce by their own
free will. Both of these mindsets involve
establishing a measure of personal righteousness, which these zealots
presume that they possess, especially as they compare themselves to
others. The kingdom of God cannot be inherited by flesh and blood,
since it is a kingdom wherein dwelleth righteousness. Everything
about the flesh is corruptible, and every man in the flesh is
corrupt. You cannot bring a clean thing
out of that which is unclean, neither can a corrupt fountain
bring forth pure water. Everything in the earth produces
after its own kind, and sinners produce sin, because they are
conceived in sin and have no means whereby they can correct
that situation, even if given a desire to do so, as Paul points
out in the seventh chapter of Romans. Only as men are given
an eye to behold Him who is the governor of this kingdom can
they see it unfolded, desire to enter it, or to possess a
living hope of their acceptance therein. Christ is an absolute
ruler over His kingdom, and He giveth it to whomsoever He wills.
He is bound by nothing but His desire to do His Father's will.
In keeping with that desire, He will lose none which have
been given to Him as the subjects of His kingdom. As he said, And
this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which
he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it
up again at the last day. Thus we see Zechariah given a
prophecy concerning the Lord's purpose to deliver those people
given to him by his Father which he calls his own. They are called
prisoners of hope. Now a man cannot know that he
is a prisoner until he has shown the walls which surround him.
The natural man believes himself to be free to choose whatever
might be brought before him, and the freewill mongers masquerading
as gospel preachers assure their hearers that they can of their
own volition become the children of God. They do not consider
themselves bound in any way. Yet the truth is that they are
every one bound in the darkness and death of sin without any
means of escape. They are prisoners for sure,
but they have no hope except in the power of their own weak
flesh, and they warm themselves by a fire which they have kindled.
On the other hand, there are a people in the earth who are
the called according to his purpose. They are indeed in the exact
same prison house as all of the sons of Adam. But they are made
aware of their bondage, the impossibility of escape by their own power,
and so are made to call upon him who is their only hope of
deliverance. Thus they are called prisoners
of hope. The stronghold upon whom they rely is not one of
their choosing or will, but as they are made to see him who
is the governor of all things and the one who has led captivity
captive and given gifts to men. They are compelled to hope in
him. They have no other choice. The calling of God is without
repentance. They have become willing bond
slaves to Him who is their ruler, and they love to have it so.