When will God's rule become the ruling power anywhere and/or everywhere on earth? It can't be seen, according to Jesus' word, and he tells us why. Depending on how the Greek words ἐντός ὑμῶν are translated, God's rule is either "within you" or "in your midst."
If God's rule is "within," then it isn't seen by an outside observer. We can observe our own souls, in my opinion. Through a variety of spiritual disciplines we may explore the inner contours of our being, and we may come to know the reach of God's rule there. But to everyone else (with the possible exception of a trusted spiritual director) God's ruling within a person just can't be seen.
On the other hand, if God's rule is "in your midst," then perhaps Jesus is saying the kingdom of God is already in place. It's already right here, right now, and it simply isn't being discerned. The church teaches that Jesus is the first human being who fully follows God's will. So when is the kingdom of God coming? It is coming in the person of Jesus. He is bodily present in the midst of his first-century family, friends, followers, disciples, and others, and he is spiritually present in the midst of us today through his resurrection, ascension, and glory.
"In your midst" may be applied in a wider sense, also. It may be right here, right now, not only when Jesus fully follows God's will, but also when any of us momentarily follows God's will. You and I may not discern properly in every situation, but we may discern perfectly in some situation. We may not act in a godly way in every moment, but we may act in a godly way in some moment. In those certain situations and in those particular moments, God rules among us completely and wholly. It's just not 100% seen by everybody.
Jesus seems to be saying to me, "Have faith. God rules in much more that you may know--within, around, above, below, behind, before, and throughout!"
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