234. Not of this world.

'Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place."' - (John 18:36) The Romans thought of themselves as invincible (too powerful to be defeated or overcome) but the claim by Christians that there is another kingdom more powerful and authoritative than their's, alarmed them! "Where do you come from?" Pilate asked Jesus, but Jesus gave him no answer. "Do you refuse to answer me?" Pilate said. "Don't you realise I have power either to free you or to crucify you?" Jesus answered, "You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above." - (Vs 9-11) It was this belief in a higher power that turned the Roman Empire hostile towards Christians because it threatened their very existence as a super power. Two thousand years later, the Roman Empire has vanished from the face of the earth but the kingdom of God still exists on earth! No empires or emperors have succeeded in uprooting the kingdom of God, rather having tried, have stumbled upon it, themselves ! 'They stumbled over the "stumbling stone". As it is written: "See I lay in Zion a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall." -(Romans 9:32-33, Isaiah 8:4) Daniel was referring to this Rock when he said to Nebuchadnezzar: "This is the meaning of the vision of the rock cut out of a mountain but not by human hands - a rock that broke the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold to pieces. The great God has shown the king what will take place in the future." - (Daniel 2:45) The kingdom of God, which is 'the Rock that struck the statue became a huge mountain and filled the whole earth.' - (Vs 35) Are we able to perceive the kingdom of God or still questioning its whereabouts? The reason we are not able to see the kingdom of God is because it is still in the invisible realm, among us. But at the second coming of Christ, it will be visible to all mankind as it will be revealed in the physical realm when 'the kingdom of the world will become the kingdom of our Lord and his Christ and he will reign forever and ever.' - (Revelation 11:15) Amen.