One reason we're not yet in the kingdom...

In the parallel to what we're studying in Mark 13, we read this:

So you also,
when you see these things happening,
recognize that the kingdom of God is near
(Lk 21:31).


This parallels Mark 13:29 specifically, which the NASB translates, “Even so, you too, when you see these things happening, recognize that He is near, right at the door.”  The “He” can just as easily be translated “it” (as noted in the NASB); based on the parallel, “it” is correct.

With that in mind, both Mark 13:29 / Luke 21:31 plainly mean that the kingdom of God is only “near” in arrival after the abomination of desolation and return of Christ. 

Why is that important? 

Remember that some Christians read the events of Mark 13 as referring exclusively to AD 70.  Let's grant that for a moment.  That means that the kingdom was only “near” and therefore hadn’t started on Pentecost or by the end of Acts. 

The church started before the kingdom began.

Moreover, since the Book of Revelation confirms the rest of “these things” are future, then the coming of the kingdom is future to today. 

As such, it would be incorrect to understand the church age as the kingdom.  “It” is still on the horizon.

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