Denise,
Hope you don't mind me offering a few thoughts on this subject... here is the verse in question:
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Luke 17:20-21
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.
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The phrase “Kingdom of God” is found 69 times in the entirety of the scriptures, all 69 occurrences are found in the New Testament.
The phrase “Kingdom of Heaven,” is found 31 times in the entirety of the scriptures, again all 31 occurrences are found in the New Testament.
But are these two kingdoms separate entities or are they in fact, one in the same?
Let me offer two proof texts to show that they are one in the same.
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Mark 1:14-15
Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,
And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.
Matthew 4:17
From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, Repent! For the kingdom of Heaven is at hand.
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The message of the “kingdom of God” and the “kingdom of heaven” is the message that Christ Himself spoke during his earthly ministry, and like all of the words of Christ they “is, was and will be.” (Rev. 1:8 & 16:5)
When Christ says that “the Kingdom of God is within you”… He was not only speaking to the Pharisees, but he “is, was and will be” speaking to all of mankind, who will eventually be brought into the knowledge of God!
The Kingdom of God "is, was and will be" within us! But how?
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Matthew 22:1-14
And Jesus answered and spoke to them again by parables, and said, The kingdom of Heaven is like a certain king who made a marriage for his son. And he sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they would not come.
Again he sent out other servants, saying, Tell those who are invited, Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatlings are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the marriage. But not caring, they went their ways, one to his field, another to his trading. And the rest took his servants and treated them spitefully, and killed them.
But when the king heard, he was angry. And he sent out his armies and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.
Then he said to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they who were invited were not worthy. Therefore go into the exits of the highways, and as many as you shall find, invite them to the marriage.
So the servants went out into the highways and gathered together as many as they found, both bad and good. And the wedding was filled with reclining guests.
And the king coming in to look over the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment. And he said to him, Friend, how did you come in here without having a wedding garment? And he was speechless. Then the king said to the servants, Bind him hand and foot and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
For many are called, but few chosen.
Matthew 20:1-16
For the kingdom of Heaven is like a man, a house master, who went out early in the morning to hire laborers into his vineyard.
And when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace. And he said to them, You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you. And they went. And he went out about the sixth and ninth hour and did likewise.
And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing idle, and said to them, Why do you stand here all day idle?
They said to him, Because no one has hired us. He said to them, You also go into the vineyard, and you shall receive whatever is right.
So when evening had come, the lord of the vineyard said to his steward, Call the laborers and pay them their wage, beginning from the last to the first.
And when they who were hired about the eleventh hour came, they each one received a denarius. But when the first came, they supposed that they would received more; and they also each one received a denarius.
And receiving it they murmured against the master of the house, saying, These last have worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden and heat of the day. But he answered one of them and said, Friend, I do you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius?
Take yours, and go; I will give to this last one the same as to you. Is it not lawful for me to do what I want with my own? Is your eye evil because I am good? So the last shall be first, and the first last, for many are called, but few are chosen.
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Here, in these two parables, we find the infamous words of Christ… “many are called, but few are chosen” and this is the message that permeates many if not all of the parables of Christ.
The scriptures tell us clearly that in the Kingdom of God/Heaven "many are called, but few are chosen"... but is this calling and choosing a one time occurrence? or an on going process that "is, was and will be" ...
Let's look at a few more parables and see if we can see the "many called, few chosen" and how it "is, was and will be."
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Matthew 13:24-30
He put out another parable to them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field.
But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed darnel among the wheat and went his way. But when the blade had sprung up and had produced fruit, then the darnel also appeared. So the servants of the householder came and said to him, Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? Then where have the darnel come from?
He said to them, An enemy has done this. The servants said to him, Then do you want us to go and gather them up?
But he said, No, lest while you gather up the darnel you also root up the wheat with them.
Let both grow together until the harvest. And in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, First gather together the darnel and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my granary.
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Notice that the fruit and the unfruitful darnel existed and were clearly apparent at the same time, even before the harvest and are allowed to remain and grow together purposefully until the harvest. The existence of both the wheat and the darnel together allows us to see the difference between good and evil.
The "many called, few chosen" are apparent before the harvest (resurrection/judgment) and are allowed to grow together.
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Matthew 13:47
Again, the kingdom of Heaven is like a net that was cast into the sea, and gathered some of every kind;
which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down and gathered the good into vessels, but threw the bad away.
So it shall be at the end of the world. The angels shall come out and separate the wicked from among the just, and shall cast them into the furnace of fire. There shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
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This is the Kingdom of heaven at work within us... the wheat and the darnel, the good and the bad... is, was and will be removed from our life, purging us... teaching us by the judgment of God.
In the elect, the judgments of God are happening NOW... slowly removing what is opposite of God from our lives. For the remainder of humanity they will be resurrected to this judgment, so that they also will learn righteousness and see the difference between what is wheat and what is darnel in their own lives.
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Isa 26:9
With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.
Luke 3:17
whose fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly purge His floor and will gather the wheat into His storehouse. But He will burn the chaff with unquenchable fire.
Mark 9:49
For every one shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt
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Hope this helps.
God's Peace.
Josh